A Sharp Ordeal
by Erich Zann III
Summary: Sam finds out in eighth grade that she's a lesbian when she falls for a girl in her grade. Unfortunately, the confession doesn't go like she planned, and she's turned into a pariah in her school. A dark fanfic that deals with the aftermath of Sam's confession to a girl. Mature rated.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"E-excuse me… Saoirse?" Sam muttered, her body shaking violently as she approached who she felt was the most beautiful girl in the world. Gorgeous red hair and green eyes, perfect skin with freckles and a beautiful, light Irish accent. Saoirse turned around and smiled at Sam.

"Hey, Sammy… How's it going?"

"I… I… I love you, Saoirse! Will you please go on a date with me?" She said, a little louder than she had meant to. The entire hallway was looking at them now. Some of them looked shocked, some of them were beginning to laugh. Sam could feel her face heating up at the shocked look on Saoirse's face. She was so embarrassed. She should never have said anything. What chance did she stand with someone as perfect as Saoirse McCullen?

Saoirse smiled. But then it turned into a smirk. She scoffed.

"You're joking, right? This is one of those American pranks you Yankees are so fond of, right?" She asked, giggling. "You're very funny, Sam Sharp." She said, turning back around, leaving Sam rooted to the spot she was standing, her entire body trembling, tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn't know it yet, but her life at school, her reputation had just been ruined.

Everyone had heard her confess to a girl. Everyone knew she was a freak, and everyone knew how Saoirse had reacted. It would become the subject of jokes and ridicule for months after that. Sam sighed and walked out of school, walking home. When she got there, Simon was already home, having missed school because he was sick.

"Hey, Sammy… Did you confess to that… Sair-sha guy today?" Sam nodded numbly.

"Does he feel the same way?" Sam shook her head. She couldn't even cry yet. The whole situation hadn't quite settled on her yet. She just needed to be alone.

"So… You're not going on a date with him? We don't get to meet him?"

"SHUT UP!" Sam screamed. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Suddenly, Sam ran up to her room, slamming the door and locking it so that nobody could bother her. She was so angry, so humiliated, so hurt. She felt herself finally collapse in heaving sobs that racked her body. She knew she was crying, but she couldn't hear the wails coming out of her mouth. Nothing seemed real. Saoirse was always such a sweet girl…

She thought for sure that even if Saoirse didn't return her feelings, she wouldn't make her feel so ashamed, so disgusting. The way Saoirse looked at her, it was like she was a piece of shit the red haired girl had just stepped in. The way she wrinkled her nose, even as she smiled broke Sam's heart. She and Saoirse weren't exactly close friends. But Sam would have done anything for Saoirse. All the Irish girl would have had to was tell her what to do, and she would have rushed off to do it without hesitation.

She wouldn't have given it a moment's thought. She loved Saoirse so much, and she would have done anything to see her happy. That's why it hurt so much when Saoirse mocked her like that. Sam heard a knock on her door. At first she ignored it. But then, the person knocked again.

"Leave me alone! I-I don't wanna talk to you!" Sam yelled. Simon's voice came from the other side.

"I'm sorry…" He said gently. Sam's eyes widened.

"What? Why are you sorry?" She asked.

"I gave you bad advice. I told you that you should tell Saoirse how you feel, and you got hurt because of it. I never wanted you to get hurt… You're the most amazing, perfect person in the world and I thought that everyone would feel the same way that I did.

"I knew you were nervous… But you're so modest that I just thought you were underestimating yourself." Simon said, sounding ashamed of himself.

"I'm sorry… I just wanted you to be happy… I never wanted you to get hurt… It's all my fault…" Simon cried, tears filling his light blue eyes.

Suddenly, Sam opened the door and Simon collapsed backwards, falling down at Sam's feet. She looked down at him with a smile, picking him up and hugging him tightly… Yeah, Saoirse had hurt her. She made her feel bad about herself… But if she had a brother as great as Simon, things couldn't be too bad. Why was she feeling sorry for herself like this? She smiled at Simon, kissing him on the forehead. Simon pushed her away.

"Ew, gross! Girl germs!" He said, holding her off of him. But secretly, he blushed slightly. He put on an act around other people, but Sam was his favorite person in the world. He would do anything for her. Sam laughed, shoving Simon playfully. Somehow, it was hard to stay upset around Simon. He was so energetic and playful that she had trouble not having the same level of energy as him.

Finally, they just sat down and talked for a while.

"So… Tell me about what happened?" Simon asked. Sam took a deem breath.

"Well… I went up to Saoirse… God, she's beautiful… She could make Aphrodite herself blush with her looks…"  
"Alright, Sammy. Gross. I don't need to hear about how badly you want to make out with Saoirse. Wait… She?" Simon asked.

"Yeah… Saoirse's a girl. Um… I never told you that?" Sam asked, trying to remember whether she had ever mentioned the gender of her crush. It just didn't seem like it mattered.

"Is that a problem?" Sam asked, feeling nervous now.

"No… I just am surprised… I know some girls like other girls and some boys like other boys… But I don't know anyone like that myself. You should've told me."

"Ahaha… Sorry, sorry. Anyway, I went to talk to her and I told her exactly how I felt… I-I asked her if she wanted to go on a date with me… And she… Smiled… I-I was actually thinking that maybe she was gonna say yes… But then she smirked and asked me if I was joking. She asked if I was playing a prank and told me I was 'very funny'. But… Maybe I just surprised Saoirse… Just because she doesn't feel the same way as I do… Maybe everything will be fine…" Sam said hopefully.

"She's a nice person. I'm sure I can just talk to her. Everything'll be fine." Sam said, brushing her hair out of her face and braiding it. She always had trouble braiding her hair. It was weird. She was able to play an acoustic guitar pretty well, but braiding her hair was difficult.

"Here, lemme help you sis." Simon said. Sam had always wondered how Simon learned how to braid hair. It wasn't the kind of things most boys knew.

"There ya go, Sammy." Simon said, tying the braid off at the end. He always thought she had really pretty hair. Sam smiled and hugged Simon.

"Thanks… You're really the best brother in the world."

"I… No I'm not… I couldn't even protect my sister from getting hurt…"

"Hey… Don't say that, Simon… It's nobody's fault this happened. It's not your fault Saoirse doesn't feel the same way about me. I'm glad she was honest with me… I just wish she was a little more tactful about it." Sam said, holding Simon close to her and rubbing his head.

"Listen, Simon… You. Didn't do. Anything wrong. You helped me find the courage to admit who I am and I'm grateful to you for that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish my homework and go to bed."

Simon nodded and left the room, collapsing back on the couch. He was tired, too. A fever of 99.8, though it was down from yesterday when it was 101.2. He was recovering, and he was sure that he would be able to go to school again the next day… He didn't care much for school. But he liked his friends. There was a girl he was interested in, and he wanted to tell her how he felt, but he didn't want to seem like a weirdo. She was so cool, and he was just some dumb punk.

He groaned, lying back and falling asleep again. Maybe Sammy would know what to do. Sam always knew what to do. She had taken care of him for as long as he could remember. When their father was drunk. When their mother was working. When neither parent was home. When Simon was hungry and there was no food in the house. When Simon woke up with a nightmare and was scared. Sam was the greatest person in the world.

She always took care of him. She helped him with his homework, cooked for him, helped him clean his room, gave him a bath when he needed one, put him to bed. Mom couldn't be counted on. Dad was terrifying when he was drunk. But Sam… She was a rock… She was always there for him, but as much as he tried to be there for her… He had failed her. He cried softly as he fell asleep, hoping that Sam wasn't angry at him for being such a loser.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Sammy? Sammy? Where are you!" Simon pleaded, looking around desperately. It was so cold, it was so dark and he couldn't find Sam anywhere. He ran around desperately, looking wherever he could for her, but no matter where he ran, it was still dark all around him, it was still so cold and he felt completely alone. After a few moments, a shining figure showed up in front of him.

"Sammy!" He cried happily, running to her, falling to his knees and hugging her around her waist.

She shoved him away, though.

"Don't touch me, you little creep!" She snapped. He gasped, his heart stopping. He could feel a horrible clenching sensation in his throat, his heart being crushed by Sam's cruel tone.

"W-what? But Sammy… Please…" he begged, reaching towards her, but only being rebuffed by a boot to his face. He fell back, clutching his nose, which was bleeding.

This wasn't a dream. You couldn't feel pain in dreams… Sammy told him so. She would never lie to him.

"I said don't touch me! It's your fault! It's your fault mom didn't want to be with us! It's your fault dad is always drunk! It's your fault Saoirse didn't want me! I trusted you and you betrayed me!" Sam shouted at him, her face full of hatred. He felt a hard hand come down across his face. She had slapped him. Simon couldn't breathe. His thoughts were racing at a thousand miles a minute. No… It wasn't his fault… He…

It was his fault.

If he had thought for two seconds to look at whether Saoirse was a boy's or a girl's name, he would've known why Sam was so nervous… But he didn't even know how to spell Saoirse. What country is that name even from? He'd certainly never heard the name before. But it was his fault. He was stupid and Sam was suffering because of it. He'd ruined her chance at happiness. He… He deserved her hatred.

"Please!" He begged. "Please, forgive me! I'm sorry! I-I never meant to hurt you!"

"You can't do anything right, you little screw up! You are so pathetic! It makes me sick to even look at you!" She yelled. "Never talk to me again!" She finished, turning around and walking away. Simon chased desperately after her. But no matter how fast he ran, she kept getting further away, until she finally disappeared, and Simon's eyes opened.

"AAAAAGHH! NO! SAMMY! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" He pleaded, tears flooding his eyes. He heard a crash from down the hall and his door suddenly opened. It was Sam. His heart… It was still there… She hadn't ripped it out of his chest…

"Simon! Are you alright?" She asked, her eyes wide with panic. She heard Simon scream and thought he was in danger.

Suddenly, she was embraced in a bone crushing hug. Simon certainly had his father's natural strength.

"P-please don't leave me, Sammy! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I betrayed you! I'm sorry I ruined your relationship with Saoirse! I'll do anything you say if you say you don't hate me!" He was begging her, his knees weak, his eyes desperate. Sam knelt down in front of him, hugging him tightly.

"Oh, Simon… Of course I don't hate you… You had a nightmare…"

"N-no! It was real! I could feel pain! You kicked me in the face and it hurt so much! Y-you slapped me… I-it was so cold and dark… I-I couldn't breathe…" He moaned, his chest still heaving with terrified sobs. Sam gently rubbed his back. He sighed in relief as he leaned into her gentle touch. She was so warm, so comforting. There was nobody in the world stronger than her.

She could protect him from anything… But he wanted to be able to protect her… She shouldn't have to protect him. He should be doing everything he could to defend her, to make sure she never had to cry, to make sure that nobody ever hurt her. He felt so weak right now… She was the most important person in his life, and he couldn't even keep her from getting her heart broken.

"It's alright, Simon… I'm not angry at you for anything… You've done nothing wrong."  
"But… S-Saoirse… I…"

"You encouraged me and helped me find the strength to be honest about how I felt."

"I was so stupid! I didn't even know Saoirse was a girl's name!"

"I've never heard the name Saoirse before I met her. It was new to me, too. She says it's an old-fashioned Gaelic name."  
"I-it's my fault Mom never wanted to come home! It's my fault Dad gets drunk like he does! It's my fault they don't love us!"

"Simon… They made their decisions… You don't remember this… You weren't even a year old at the time… But Dad broke his knee at his construction job. He had to quit and ended up on disability. It's not his fault that happened, but he can't even do intense exercise like running anymore. His knee was really badly hurt, and he often woke up screaming in pain… He turned to drinking to numb the pain and got addicted…

"Mom had to work a lot more to keep taking care of us… It's not her fault that happened, but she ended up making the decision that keeping us comfortable was more important than spending time with us. She made the best decision she could at the time. You were still so young and I wasn't even five yet, so she wanted us to be as comfortable as possible. Mommy and Daddy both love us very much. It's just… Bad things happened and Daddy couldn't work anymore so Mommy had to work twice as hard."

Sam was looking right into Simon's eyes. Their eyes were almost the same color blue. Sam's were a little bit darker, but without looking closely, you couldn't tell the difference in color. But their expressions were extremely different. Simon had very intense eyes like their father, while Sam had a much softer, gentler expression like her mother's. Her eyes were so calming. He found his breathing slowing, his tears drying just from looking into her eyes.

"Simon… I love you… I will always love you, and nothing can ever change that. You're my precious little brother, and you mean the world to me." Sam said gently, resting her head against his like they could communicate just by touching heads. They had always had a very strong bond, and this had always made Simon feel better when he was upset.

"None of that is your fault, Simon… Now, it's three in the morning… Let's get you back to bed…" Sam said gently, lifting Simon and putting him in bed, pulling the covers up.

"Wait! S-stay with me until I go to sleep?" He asked. Sam nodded, pulling out her acoustic and strumming a few notes. She kept it tuned for just such occasions. She plucked at the strings with her long, slender fingers.

Beautiful dreamer,  
Wake unto me  
Starlight and dewdrops  
Are awaiting thee

Sounds of the rude world  
Heard in the day  
Led by the moonlight  
Have all passed away

Beautiful dreamer,  
Queen of my song  
List' while I woo thee  
With soft melody

Gone are the cares of  
Life's busy throng  
Beautiful dreamer  
Awake unto me

Beautiful dreamer,  
Awake unto me

She sang slowly and softly so that he would fall asleep, and finally, she saw him drift off. She put her guitar down and kissed him on the forehead, heading back to her own room and lying down and falling asleep almost instantly.

It felt too soon that she woke up to her alarm clock playing SMOOCH. She sighed, hitting the off button and getting up, going to the bathroom and taking her shower. Mom had already left… She almost always came home by 7 at night, but she was gone at the moment. When she got out, she brushed her teeth, combing her hair and drying it before heading downstairs and starting breakfast. She was sort of in a daze that morning. She turned on the radio and set it to 98.5… The Classic Rock station.

Maybe some good music would wake her up. She set the plates out with Simon's eggs, sausage and toast with a banana. Simon ran downstairs, sitting down at the table, thanking Sam for breakfast and dug in, finishing in a matter of two minutes. He always ate very quickly. Sam took her time eating and when they were finished, they walked to their respective schools. When Sam got to Simon's elementary school, she kissed him on the forehead and wished him a good day.

As he walked in, he noticed a lot of kids laughing at him and pointing.

"Hey, Simon! Heard your sister is a total dyke for the new girl at her school!" A kid named Jacob shouted. Simon growled, walking over to Jacob and grabbing him by the shirt. Another thing that Simon shared with his father, other than his looks was a relatively quick temper.

"Say that again, asswipe!" Simon snarled.

"Oh, yeah… I forgot how in love you are with your precious Sammy…" Jacob said mockingly. Simon was trembling with rage, now.

"One more word… _One more word_ , and I'll make you swallow your teeth, you piece of shit!" Simon snarled. Jacob laughed.

"Yeah right… I bet you're a fag, too… What? Are you gonna punch me or stick your tongue in my…" He didn't even get to finish his sentence because of a heavy right hook that Simon threw, sending Jacob to the ground with a bloody nose.

"Fuck you!" Jacob yelled, running at Simon and tackling him. The two brawled for a few minutes before they were pulled apart by a teacher.

"Alright… Both of you with me… To the Assistant Principal!"

"Yes, Mrs. Anderson." The two boys said, following her to their Assistant Principal… Simon was trembling. He had never actually been there before. He was always a little bit mischievous, but he had never been in enough trouble to warrant a trip to Mr. Ferguson. There were terrifying rumors about him… That he had razor sharp teeth and the worst offenders had to sharpen them for him, and if they did it wrong, he would bite off one of their fingers and drink their blood dry.

There were rumors that students' bodies littered his office and that under his human cloak, he was a serpentine monster… Simon wasn't sure he believed that. But there was also a rumor that the worst offenders were beaten with a wooden stick until their bodies were entirely black and blue… That terrified him. Jacob looked over at his fellow offender, grinning maliciously.

"Never been to Ferguson's office, have you, Simon? Perfect little Mama's boy… Well… You're in for a treat… He makes first time visitors clean all his torture devices…" Jacob whispered. Mrs. Anderson had hearing difficulties, so she couldn't hear what he was saying.

"Last time a kid did that, he lost a hand when the trap snapped shut on him…"

"I… I don't believe you?"

"No? Well… Maybe you're right… He was only at this school a few years ago… Before my time… But I hear he had to get a fake hand put on and he was never able to write again, so he had to be homeschooled after that."

"Alright, boys… Mr. Ferguson will call you in when he's ready to see you." Mrs. Anderson said sternly, sitting them on a bench as Jacob hissed a long list of kids who were supposedly maimed by Mr. Ferguson's horrible machines until Simon was practically in tears. Supposedly, your punishment was even worse if you snitched when you were questioned. So when they went in, Simon was shaking violently, standing in front of a tall, red haired man.

"Hello, boys… Please, sit down." Ferguson said gently. He turned his chair around. He was aging, with grey hairs interspersed with the red, and thin glasses and a kindly face. He didn't look like a monster.

"So tell me, boys… Why are you here?"

"I… I attacked Jacob, Mr. Ferguson…" Simon muttered.

"Why? Did he provoke you?" The Assistant Principal asked. Simon was less afraid now. He had such a soft, gentle voice. But Jacob's words still rang in his head. Worse if he snitched.

"N-no, sir… I… It was… All my fault…" Simon whispered, tears flooding his eyes. Ferguson looked at Jacob, catching a smug look on his features.

"Mr. Polaski… Could you wait outside? I'll speak to you alone in a few minutes." Mr. Ferguson said. Jacob glared at Simon and stalked out, closing the door behind him.

"May I ask your name?"

"S-S-Simon… Sharp, sir."

"You've never been in my office before… I've seen your record… A few minor pranks, some talking back, a tendency to not pay attention in class… But you've never been violent before… Why don't you tell me what's really going on?" Mr. Ferguson asked.

"I… I can't…"

"Mr. Sharp… I've heard the rumors about me… I can assure you that I don't torture students, I have no sharp objects other than pens, pencils, scissors and paper clips in my office, and I've never maimed a student for any offense, no matter how serious. Please, be honest with me."

"I… M-my sister… Jacob was saying really mean things about her…"

"I see… And you felt like attacking him was the best course of action?" Mr. Ferguson asked. Simon looked away.

"I-I don't know… Sammy was really hurt badly yesterday when… Well… She confessed her feelings to someone and they made her feel ashamed of herself…

"Jacob was making fun of her for that…"

"Do you know how Jacob knew? Samantha Sharp is in eighth grade now. It's not likely that he would know firsthand what goes on in the middle school."

"I… I think he has a brother in the same school…"

"Well… I can't let you off without some sort of punishment… You attacked another student in front of the whole school. Noble intentions aside, you broke a number of major school rules and it's only appropriate that you face some sort of penalty for it."

"Y-yes, sir…"

"So… It's your first time here… Have you ever had detention before?"  
"A few times… I put a tack on the teacher's chair, I rigged a chalkboard eraser to launch at the teacher, I gave another student a wedgie…"

"So childish pranks… Alright… What do you think would be an appropriate punishment?"

"Mmmm… Detention for a month?"

"Okay… After school, you'll report to room 128 for detention. For a month." Ferguson said. "You can go now. Send in Jacob." The Assistant Principal said.

"Oh, and I hope I don't have to see you again." He said. Simon nodded, hurrying out before the red haired man could change his mind.

He felt terribly relieved that he wasn't tortured or beaten… He ran to class, and finished out the rest of the day feeling like he really dodged a huge bullet. Sam's day was nowhere near as easy.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Hey, Bridgett!" Sam says cheerfully as she turns the combination on her locker. Bridgett doesn't answer her, though. Sam can see the conflicted look on Bridgett's face. They had been best friends for years. They went to every one of each other's birthday parties. Sam called her when she was feeling overwhelmed taking care of Simon, or she just needed someone to talk to. Bridgett always did the same.

Bridgett had no problem with Sam being gay. It didn't bother her. But she had heard what was going on. The entire school was shutting Sam out, and she was scared of what would happen if she went against the grain. She afforded Sam a small smile as she turned away. She couldn't help feeling guilty. Sam had always been there for her. But she had to look after herself.

 _That was weird. Maybe she's just distracted._

"Hey, Luke! What's up? Sam asked. Luke walked right past her, only smirking at her. Sam shrugged and went to her first class of the day, feeling a little bit confused. Sitting down, she tried smiling at her neighbors, but got no response. Shrugging, she started reading the novel she had been involved in until the teacher came in and called the class to silence.

The rest of the day went rather oddly. Nobody paid attention to her. Nobody said hello to her. She talked to teachers about normal things like her grades. She was doing pretty well… She was hardly a perfect student, but she was getting in the range of A- to Bs in most of her classes. Frankly, her teachers were pretty satisfied with her work. She sat at her usual table at lunch, hoping that Luke, Bridgett and Estelle would join her.

They never did. By the end of the day, she was feeling very confused and more than a little betrayed. Maybe they were just busy. Maybe they were distracted. Maybe a lot of things. But she had always been there for them. When Luke's girlfriend was cheating on him. When Bridgett found out that her parents were getting divorced, when Estelle needed help figuring out what to say to the boy she liked. Sam never abandoned her friends.

She sighed, and started walking home. First, she had to pick Simon up from school. She had gotten a text that he would have detention after school. And she had violin practice after school Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. Her teacher said she was getting pretty good. She went to her locker to get her violin, only to find it was gone. There was a note in her locker.

 _If you want your stupid violin back, come to room 304 to get it._

She rushed up the stairs as quickly as she could. Her mother had bought her that violin. It had been expensive. It was her Christmas gift that year. It had cost over 700 dollars. Sam had been practicing with a school violin up to then and had gotten pretty good, so her mom spent the money to buy her her own violin. She couldn't let anything happen to it.

Getting up to Room 304, she walked in and saw her violin in splinters on the floor with another note in the same handwriting.

 _Enjoy, bitch_

 _#lol_

Sam couldn't believe it. The violin her mother had saved up for so long to buy… The violin that Simon loved listening to. The violin that her mother had worked so hard to pay for was gone… Smashed into a million pieces. She collapsed to the floor, sobbing miserably, her hands shaking as she picked up the pieces. It hadn't just been broken. It had been destroyed. There was no way to fix this. She moaned, throwing the pieces in the garbage and walking out, down to her teacher's office.

"Um… M-M-Mr… M-Mr. Scovario… I-I…"  
"Miss Sharp…" He said, looking at her with immense concern. "What's wrong? Come, sit down…" He said. Sam gulped, sitting down, unable to look him in the eye. He loved his instruments so much… He treasured musical instruments as works of art. How could she tell him that she had let hers be destroyed like that? She had to tell him, though.

"What happened to your violin? Did you forget it today?"

"I… N-no… It got b-broken…"

"An accident? Did you drop it?" He asked, not seeming angry.

"I-I don't think it was an accident." She said, handing him the two notes she had gotten. He read them one after the other, and shook his head.

"I see… Do you mind if I keep these notes? Maybe the school can find out who wrote them. There's no excuse for what they did… Vandalizing your property like that. Do you have any idea who might have done it?" He asked. Sam shook her head.

"M-Mom bought me that violin for Christmas… I-it was special! It cost her so much money… We can't just replace it…" Sam sobbed.

The fact that her friends had ignored her all day no longer even registered for her. All she cared about was that she had let her violin be destroyed. Her mother would never forgive her… What would Simon think? Mr. Scovario smiled gently at her.

"Miss Sharp… It will be alright… I have spare violins that you can use for now. It's always good to have your own instrument that you trust and understand… But for now, using a spare won't kill you."

Mr. Scovario always talked about instruments like they had a soul, like the user could bond with them and sometimes said that the greatest musicians were the greatest because they knew their instruments the best. That they were able to bring out the most in their instrument and the instrument worked hard for them as well. It was a very spiritual concept that Sam didn't necessarily agree with. She never particularly believed in any kind of higher power.

But she could see that every instrument, even two violins or guitars could be slightly different, so knowing the individual instrument well would mean that picking up a different violin would feel strange. It wasn't spiritual. It was just practical. Still, she picked up the violin and immediately felt it. It was too heavy. It wasn't balanced right. She played with Mr. Scovario for a while, but she wasn't feeling it, so he let her go a bit early.

She hurried over to Simon's school, rushing in only to crash into a dark haired student.

"Hey! Watch it!" He shouted.

"Oh… Sorry…" Sam said, helping the boy up and going to the principal's office to wait for Simon.

"Are you Miss Sharp?" A middle aged woman asked. Sam nodded.

"Simon Sharp's sister?" She asked.

"Yes." Sam replied again.

"Can I speak with you for a few minutes? I won't take more time than necessary. Then you can collect your brother and head home."

"Okay… Is he alright?"

"Yes… The boy he got into a fight with isn't so lucky."

"What? Simon got into a fight? That doesn't sound like him. He's always been a little bit mischievous. But never violent."

"Well… He said that he fought the boy because the boy was making remarks about you. The young man who was making remarks has been recommended for counseling and been suspended for a week for fighting, and Simon got a month of detention."

"I see…" Sam said quietly.

"Has Simon been having problems at home or school lately that you know of?"

"No…"

"What about you? He seems to be very protective of you. Maybe something happened to you?"  
"I don't see how that's your business…" Sam said, immediately shutting down. The principal nodded.

"Okay… Well, you can take your brother home now. His detention should be over by now. Just make sure that you or one of your parents has a talk with him about his aggressive streak."  
"He does _not_ have an aggressive streak! He got into one fight with some jerk who couldn't keep his mouth shut! That doesn't make him a problem student!" Sam said, thinking that she would definitely talk to him.

She waited in the foyer until Simon came out with his backpack.

"Hey, Simon… How'd detention go?"

"Great… I really connected with the girl who kept shooting spitballs at me. I think we're gonna be real good friends." Simon said sarcastically. Sam laughed, rolling her eyes at her brother's humor.

"So… Talk to me, Simon… What happened?" Sam asked, brushing Simon's hair back and seeing a slight bruise around his eye and some crusted blood under his nose.

"Jacob Polaski happened. He was badmouthing you! Calling you a dyke! He was making fun of you!"

"So?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So? Nobody gets away with talking about you like that!"

"Simon… Simon, calm down." Sam said, taking Simon inside and kneeling down in front of him.

"Listen, it's… Really sweet that you were willing to do that for me… But I don't want you fighting on my account… Ever… If it's a fight worth having, I'll take care of it myself…" 

"No you won't! You never fight! You're such a pacifist! You never fight!"

"It's never worth it. If someone I love is in danger, or my life or safety are in danger, I'll fight. But mean words? They're not worth fighting over, and it would only make things worse. People can't insult you if you don't let them."

"But… He called you…"

"I don't care what he called me. There are certain people whose opinions I care about. Jacob Polaski's is not one of them. He's nine. I doubt he even knows what the word 'dyke' really means. There's a Polaski at my school. They're probably related and he heard my Polaski talking about it."

"H-how did your day at school go?"

"Oh… It was… Alright." Sam muttered. Simon scowled. She way lying. Why was she lying to him? Didn't she trust him?" He sighed and went up to his room to do the rest of his homework.

"Hello, Sammy!" Came a voice from the kitchen.

"Mon? What are you doing home at this hour?" Sam asked.

"I took a different shift at the hospital today. I'm just… Getting ready to go to my evening job…" Her mother said, yawning.

"D-do you… Have a moment to talk to me?" Sam asked, feeling very vulnerable. "I… I need to tell you something… It's kind of important…" Sam said. She had to come out to her family eventually. It might as well be tonight, right. Sam's mother looked at the clock.

"I'm sorry, sweetie… I'm already late in getting out… I'd love to be able to talk to you, but I…" Sam sighed.

"Don't worry about it… Maybe another time." Sam said, heading up to her own room. She tried to do her homework, but she just couldn't concentrate. After a few hours of sitting in her room, having been on the same math problem for over thirty minutes, she decided to give up. She would just take her detention the next day or whatever. She didn't even care. She was about to head downstairs when Simon stopped her.

"Can we just talk for a while, Sammy?" Simon asked. Sam nodded, going back into her room. He sat on her bed with her, sighing happily as she held him close to her chest, stroking his hair gently. People said that they were way closer than siblings should be. But it never bothered them.

"Why did you lie to me, Sammy? Do you not trust me anymore? Did I do something to make you angry?" Simon asked nervously. Sam shook her head.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Simon… I just had kind of a bad day… You don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine. I'm sure it'll all pass." Sam said. Simon put a hand on Sam's cheek.

"What happened?" He asked. Sam sighed.

"None of my friends would even talk to me today. None of them would even look at me… I-I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt… Maybe they're just distracted or something.

"But when they didn't even sit at the same table as me at lunch, I knew something was wrong. Then, after school, someone destroyed my violin…" Sam muttered, tears stinging her eyes again. Simon looked up at her. She never cried. It wasn't until she came home yesterday after Saoirse turned her down that he had ever seen her cry. Why did it hurt so much to see her like this? He turned himself around, hugging her tightly.

"It'll be alright, Sammy… I'm sure things'll get better." He said, kissing her on the cheek. She often kissed him, but he couldn't remember ever kissing her. It felt weird. He was sad for her, and he just wanted to make her feel better.

"But… Mom spent a lot of money on that violin… It wasn't easy for her to afford that…"

"I know… It was the only gift you got that year. It meant a lot to you, didn't it?" Simon asked. Sam nodded.

"I'm sorry they did that to you. I've got some money saved up from taking care of our neighbors' pets… I could help you buy a new one…" Simon said. Sam smiled at him.

"That's really sweet of you… But I can't accept your money… You worked hard for that. No, I'll figure something out… I… I just wish I could've talked to Mom tonight."

"You were hoping to come out tonight?" Simon asked. Sam nodded, looking surprisingly vulnerable.

"It's alright, Sammy… I'm sure whenever you tell them, they'll still love you just as much…"

"I hope so… What if they don't want someone like… Well, like me? What if they disown me? Where would I go? I'm only 13 years old…" Sam whispered, shivering slightly. Simon held on closer to her.

"I won't let them. If they kick you out, they'll have to kick me out, too… I'll _never_ abandon you." He said. Sam smiled a little tearfully at him. "Thanks, Simon…"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A month passed… Or was it six weeks? Well… Time passed, and not much changed. Sam occasionally got nasty notes in her locker with clearly disguised handwriting, or had her belongings stolen or destroyed. Her belongings were occasionally thrown in a toilet or peed on, and one time, her locker door was kicked in and when she opened it, a horrible musk came out of the locker, making her smell bad for the rest of the day.

She got through all that… She'd never let it get to her. She figured as long as they weren't being violent towards her or someone she loved, she could get through it. She had gotten so used to the abuse and neglect that she was surprised when Saoirse herself approached her in the hall one day after school. She was walking to her chorus lessons, but Saoirse seemed nervous.

Saoirse walked up to Sam and smiled nervously at her.  
"Hey, S-Sam... Listen, I'm really sorry about what I said to you... I... Really do like you, I just... You see how everyone is treating you now... I guess I was never as brave as you are." Saoirse said, smiling uncertainly. Sam gasped.  
"R-really?" She asked. Saoirse nodded.

"Yeah... Come here." She said, cupping Sam's cheek and moving in but pulling away before their lips touched.  
"Is that strawberry lip balm I smell?" Saoirse said sweetly, smiling at her, her eyes half-lidded with a gaze that screamed desire.  
"Yeah... My lips... G-get dry..." Sam muttered nervously.

"You want to keep going?" The red haired Irish girl asked, kissing Sam again, pulling away after only a second, her lips barely brushing against Sam's, leaving the blonde girl begging for more.  
"Yes..." Sam gasps, her eyes half-lidded with desire, her cheeks a faint pink color.  
"Come with me... I know a spot behind the school. I usually eat lunch there... So much quieter than the lunchroom..."

Sam allowed her hand to be taken, blushing even more deeply at Saoire's surprisingly warm and gentle touch. Saoirse laced their fingers, gently playing with Sam's hand, teasing and tickling it as they walked out back. As they got there, though, a bunch of boys and girls crowded in. Saoirse smirked at Sam. Sam looked confused for a moment.

"Ah... You thought I was being serious... I love how easy it is to manipulate people like you... You're so trusting, and the fact that you like me didn't exactly do you any favors. Surprise, bitch." Saoirse said with a shockingly sweet smile, laughing. Then she went on.

"Did you _really_ think you were good enough for me? God, look at you… You're skinny like a stick… No strength to speak of, and I hate to have to be the one to say this, but your violin skills… Leave _a lot_ to be desired. Maybe you'd be better sticking to a guitar, like a savage." Saoirse said, enjoying the look of devastation on Sam's face.

"Come on… You would have been better off just letting me keep pretending to be your friend… I probably could've stomached your presence for two or three more months… You at least kept me amused with your mediocrity on occasion. Still, I honestly need to end this… Relationship, if you want to call it that." She said gently, stroking Sam's cheek mockingly.

"But you said..."  
"I lied. I thought that would be obvious by now. No, I just wanted to give you the haircut that you so desperately deserve... Why don't we help her stay still...? We wouldn't want her head getting cut while we shave her, would we?" Saoirse asked, stepping back.

Two large boys shoved Sam up against the wall, one holding her arms down and the other pressed against her chest to keep it from moving. Sam felt the wind being driven from her lungs as the boy slammed against her chest, driving his elbow into her stomach. A girl came up to her and fiddled with an electric shaver.

"Don't panic, Samantha... This'll be over pretty quickly... Well... Relatively speaking. I think we can make it last at least 20 minutes... What do you think, guys? Miss McCullen?" She asked. Saoirse smiled.  
"I think 20 minutes is a good start... I wouldn't be disappointed if it lasted that long. But let's see if we can stretch it out to 30 minutes, what do you say?" She asked. The rest nodded and the girl turned on the razor, and slowly moving it towards Sam's head, pulling back at the last moment as Sam flinched away, clearly terrified. Saoirse laughed at her fear. Even Saoirse's cruelest laugh was lyrical.

"Mm, Sammy... This new haircut will be so 'you'." Saoirse said, walking over and smiling maliciously. Seeing her crying like this was just too perfect.  
"Come on. Be happy. You've finally gotten my attention. Isn't that what you wanted?" Saoirse asked condescendingly. Sam was still struggling to get out of their grip. But they were far too strong for her.

Stepping away, the girl waved the razor, turning it on again and taking a tiny bit of hair off the top of her head, not even going down to the scalp. They were teasing her, making it as terrifying and long as possible, and after a moment, one of the boys punched Sam in the stomach, causing the blonde haired girl to gasp for breath.

"Boy, you Americans are so unathletic. In Ireland, we do sit-ups in gym every day. It's just part of our warmup. Well, it does make it fun to watch you squirm like this, you slutty little carpet muncher... Go on, Abby Get going on her head… For real now, yeah?" Saoirse said. The girl named Abby shaved a bit more off, but only a few strands still, but gasped as she was struck over the back of the head by something sharp and heavy.

Saoirse looked around and saw a small blonde boy breathing heavily with rage, his eyes alight with anger with a bloody rock clutched in one hand. His arm was already trembling from the effort of having swung the rock so hard to hit Abby. Saoirse looked over at her erstwhile ally, seeing her on the ground.  
"Let Sammy go! Now!" He demanded. Abby groaned, her body trembling from the sudden strike to her head. One of the boys went to hit Simon, but Saoirse stopped him. 

"Ah, you must be Simon. I've heard a lot about you. Sam speaks very well of you. It is admirable that you want to defend her, but honestly, do you think you can fight all of us? There's… Let's see." Saoirse said sarcastically. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12… 13…" Of us, well, 9, if you don't count the three who're holding your Sammy down and the one who you beamed on the head with that rock you're holding… And one of you… And by my calculations, most of them are at least twice your size… I doubt a fight between you and them would go very well." Saoirse continued to mock.

"Th-then I'll fight until either you go down or I die!" Simon growled, trembling with a combination of rage and fear.  
"NO! Simon, run! Now!" Sam pleaded, only to have a hand clamped over her mouth.  
"Alright. Well, this wasn't part of the plan. I don't normally like beating up infants. But I suppose you've earned my respect." Saoirse said delicately, still recording Sam being shaved, by another person now.

This person was being a lot less cautious than Abby, who had been teasing Sam's hair. This one seemed much cruder, and was getting dangerously close, and the buzzing deepened as it took off relatively large amounts of hair, though it still never touched her scalp.

Simon charged, screaming in rage, but went right past the boy who was about to kick him, leaping over a boy who dove for him, and tackled Saoirse, punching her in the face.  
"There!" He screamed, punching her again. He was pulled off, though and thrown aside. Saoirse stood up and looked for her phone. Simon had it, though. He had nicked it when he tackled her.

Saoirse smiled at Simon, but her smile never reached her eyes. It was almost a little eerie. "You know... I could be convinced to let your Sammy go... If you give me back my phone. My parents aren't rich, you know." She lied. "They won't like that I lost my phone. They won't replace it for me." She said, putting her hand out. "Besides... Sammy came with me of her own free will. She still likes me. You wouldn't want to break her beloved's property, would you?" She asked. She could see that Simon was conflicted.

She could tell that he was seriously considering her offer. Of course, she had no intention of keeping her promise. Once she got it, she would just have her followers beat up both him and his dyke of a sister. But Simon didn't know that. He might be able to save Sam just by giving Saoirse back her phone. But she was a liar. She was a manipulator. She was a monster. She humiliated his sister. He could also save her by fighting off her bullies for her. So he showed her the screen and deleted the video, then he tossed the phone in the air and caught it.

"Alright, Simon... You've done what you meant to do. I can't use that video against her anymore." Saoirse said, her voice still calm, but trembling ever so slightly with a silent rage. She wasn't used to not getting her way. She wasn't used to having someone she couldn't manipulate. "Give me my phone back... Please." She said. Simon smirks at her.

"You know... Sammy said you were beautiful... I just don't see it, though. You look like a troll to me." He said.

"Very droll, young man. My phone… Now." She said, no longer amused by this child's antics. Her patience and humor were wearing thin. Simon smirked even more widely.

"Sure… Go get it." He said, throwing the phone as hard as he could at the wall behind her, watching with satisfaction as it smashed on the brick.

One of the boys was about to hit Simon, but she held him back.  
"No, no... I admire his courage. Just hold him down. I want him to watch while his precious Sammy gets the haircut she so desperately needs. We'll see if he still wants to make out with her after we're done. Capisce?" She asked with a sweet smile. Suddenly, though, Simon was in full berserker mode, and jumped up, kicking the one holding Sam down in the side of the knee.

Although Simon's kick wasn't really that hard, the young man crumpled to the ground, howling in pain, a mask of rage covering his features. Suddenly, Simon was kicked in the head and collapsed to the ground, barely moving. They could hear groans of pain coming from his mouth, so they knew he wasn't dead.

"Alright, why don't you hold him…? So we don't have a repeat of that unfortunate knee break?" Saoirse suggested. A large, hulking boy grabbed Simon, holding onto him.

But as soon as he began to clamp his hand over his mouth. Simon bit down hard on his finger. The young man screamed in rage and pain, punching Simon repeatedly in the head. He could hear Sam crying out for him, but it sounded so far away with the constant blows to his head. Still, every blow just made him bite down harder. If he was going down, if he was going to be held down, he was taking this brute's finger with him. Finally, he landed a blow hard enough that Simon let him go and he pulled away.

When he looked at his finger, it was bleeding heavily, and there were bits of skin and muscle hanging off the wound.

"Alright, Bobby… You can go to the hospital. Take Mark and Abby with you if you would. Just know that if you tell anyone what's happened here, your life will be ruined just as surely as mine will."

"Y-yes, Saoirse…" He muttered, still gritting his teeth in pain.

"Good. Now, hurry along. You don't want to lose your finger, right?" She asked, not even bothering to tell him to call her ma'am. Now wasn't really the time. She was evil, not a savage, she thought turning back to her followers and looking at Sam, who looked angrier than Saoirse had ever seen her. The red haired girl just smiled though, and walked up to Sam, seeing the blonde screaming profanities at her, struggling even harder now to escape.

"Mm… You're so passionate… I love it." Saoirse said, smiling as coldly as she had been before. As she made it up to Sam, though the blonde haired violinist snapped out at her, her teeth clenching shut mere centimeters away from Saoirse's nose.

"FUCK YOU! YOU FUCKING BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU!" Sam screamed, tears streaming down her face, not seeming to get tired no matter how much she struggled.

Saoirse looked surprised at what Sam had done.

"Why don't we break a few of her teeth? She seems like she'd be only too fond of using them again." Saoirse said. As she said that though, Simon staggered to his feet, his eyes bleary, blinking rapidly with the concussion he had received, breathing heavily.

"Not if I have anything to say about it, bitch!" Simon gasped, standing to his full height and attacking again. He was more reckless this time, taking hits like he barely felt them and throwing punches wildly at his targets. None of them seemed to do any damage, though. It seemed like all he was really trying to do was distract them.

As long as they were hurting him, they couldn't hurt Sam, and the harder he fought, the longer they would be distracted. Sam could feel tears flooding down her cheeks as she watched Simon be knocked down, over and over again and get up every time. Her struggling got more and more violent, trying everything she could think of to get out, snapping at her captors' arms and hands with her teeth, like Simon was kicking and biting and scratching.

Finally, one of them came up behind him and smashed him on the head with the same bloody rock that had been used to hit Abby, and he crumpled to his knees, a gasp of shock escaping his lips as he collapsed, no longer moving.

Sam shrieked in rage and felt a sudden burst of energy, breaking free from her captors' arms, and slicing open Saoirse's face with her fingernails and kicking her immediate captor in the groin before running over to her bruised and bloody brother, scooping him up in her arms and running. She didn't have time to put him on her back, so she carried him in her arms, like she was shielding a child with her body.

Most of the group tried to run after her. Saoirse stopped them, though… Sam would pay… Ohhh, would she pay… She would pay for having the audacity to damage her face. But now wasn't the time to call her debt. It would take time to set everything up. It would take effort and planning, and clearly. Sam was very spirited and would take time to fully break.

The ironic thing was, Saoirse would have been willing to let things end after today. She would have been pretty happy with the outcome of seeing Sam have to come into school with a shaved head, looking like some reject from the hobo bin. But not now. She hadn't planned any further ahead than this, but now, she had to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to destroy Sam. Her hatred for the blonde girl had been pretty restricted to innate contempt for her supposed mediocrity before.

Now, though, she hated Sam with a passion. She looked at her face in the mirror, grimacing with fury as she turned her head to the right and to the left. The scratches actually weren't that bad. Sam had hit hard and fast, and it had partially been the shock of being hit like that that made her think it was worse than it was. Her nose was swollen from Simon hitting her, but that would go down by tomorrow. Some concealer would take care of the scratches for now. But Sam had to pay.

The ultimate goal to her was obvious. She just hadn't shared it with most of her collaborators. They weren't smart enough to follow anyway. They could obey orders, but following an eloquent and complex plan like hers and not being disturbed by its brilliance was too much to ask… For now, anyway. They would come around and realize that she knew what she was doing. So for now, she just moved one step at a time, watching Sam fleeing like a whipped dog with her creepy little brother in her arms.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

" _Mrs. Sharp… Your son was born almost a month early." A doctor said. Sam was hiding behind a wall. Her mother had told her to stay in the waiting room while she talked to the doctor. But she was curious._

" _I know…"_

" _His lungs aren't strong enough to breathe on their own… His immune system is severely compromised. He's too small and weak to really move on his own._

" _He's on life support right now. He's got a ventilator, he's in a sterile, temperature-controlled environment… But his odds of survival are low. It might be kinder to take him off life support." Sam gasped as she heard her mother do something she had never done before. She cried. A loud, mournful wail came from Amanda's mouth. Sam could feel tears streaming down her face as well. How could a doctor say something so horrible?_

 _They were going to kill her brother? How could they do something like that? She sank to her knees, shaking in fear and desperation. She ran to the incubation room, where she saw the box with her brother in it. He looked so small and fragile. He looked scared to her, shaking, even in the very warm room, in a box that was probably even warmer. He had a mask on his face. His breathing was so shallow, so weak. His chest was rising and falling, but it was barely noticeable._

 _She knelt down next to his bed, still crying._

" _God… I don't know what your plan is for Simon… But please… Don't take him away from us… If you let him survive, if you help him through this, and help Mommy make the right decision for him, I promise I'll protect Simon forever. I'll never let him get hurt… I'll watch after him and make sure that he's always safe." Sam whispered, looking down at Simon._

" _I'll never let anyone hurt you… I'll protect you forever… I'll be the best big sister in the world… If you just find the strength to survive…" She sobbed, kissing the glass, hoping desperately that it would reach him, that he would feel it and respond. He didn't move._

Sam painfully gasped as she finally slowed to a halt upon realization that her pursuers had been lost. All the adrenaline from earlier had now left her in a state of debilitating agony, no doubt from having run so fast non-stop while keeping her baby brother in a protective embrace. Not to mention the recent traumatic woes from having been a victim to such a cruel and heartless betrayal at the hands of the girl she loved.

Spotting a nearby bench, Sam slowly made her way towards it and, while carefully cradling her brother, collapsed into the bench's comforting frame. From there, she began pondering over what to do next in light of her current dilemma. Simon needed medical attention, fast. She had to get him home, where she could tend to his wounds.

The severity of those beatings from earlier were already far too much for someone of Simon's age to endure, even if those bullies were holding back. The back of his head was still bleeding from when he got hit with a rock, leaving a few crimson-colored stains across the boy's platinum golden hair. Sam was frankly amazed, but quite relieved, that Simon was still breathing.

Sam moaned miserably. All the adrenaline had left her body, and all that was left was exhaustion. She had to get home. She had to take care of her brother… She knew she should go to a hospital. The amount of damage to his head was severe… He was bleeding from his head wounds and she had seen him get beaten over the head repeatedly. But she couldn't take him, their mom would find out… And she wasn't ready to have that conversation with her mother.

She would ask what happened, and Sam would say that Simon got beaten up. Why? She would ask… The conversation wouldn't end until her mom found out everything, and Sam was too ashamed to tell her mom just what she was. She felt a bizarre sick feeling in her stomach. It had never bothered her before that she was a lesbian. She had known for some seven months since she first met Saoirse in seventh grade. She had some boyfriends before Saoirse.

She never found that red string of fate with any of them, though. Then Saoirse came along and blew her away… She moaned again. "Why, Saoirse? Why did you have to do this to me? I loved you… I would have done anything for you… I would've gone t-to the ends of the earth and back j-just to see that beautiful, radiant smile of yours. What did I do wr-wrong… D-do I deserve this?" She asked out loud to herself. After a moment, she felt Simon stirring weakly.

Simon's eyes slowly opened… His vision was so blurry… He could barely see… He was being carried by an angel? H-had he died? He died… And whatever happened to him, what happened to Sammy must have been a million times worse… She was so gentle, so sweet… She would never hurt anyone, and people took advantage of that, and hurt her…

Sam's thoughts were abruptly put on hold when she heard an audible, but weak groan emitting from Simon's lips. She pulled him in closer, cradling him like a newborn, like she was trying to protect him from the world.

"I'm sorry, Sammy…" Simon whispered, tears filling his eyes. He had such an intense gaze that when he was crying, it made her feel like his sadness was being thrown at her as well.

"Sorry?" Sam asked. "Sorry for what?"

"I-I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you! I failed you! A-again…" Simon cried, hating himself even more now. He was so weak… He was so pathetic. He could barely stand to look at himself in the mirror without wanting to vomit… He was such a disgusting piece of shit. Angry tears were spilling over his eyes as Sam gently stroked his hair.

"You didn't fail anybody. I'm alright, Simon… They didn't hurt me…" She said. Simon looked at her incredulously.

"I… I can't really see you, Sammy… Am I wearing blinders or something?"

"It's probably the damage to your head. I was so scared for you, Simon… You fell and you weren't moving… I was so scared you were dead…"

"D-did I do a good job, Sammy? Was I… Good enough… For you today?" Sam felt tears stinging her eyes. He looked at her, looking more vulnerable than she had ever seen him in her life. He was always so strong, so tough, and always able to get back up and keep going. But now… He looked like he was ready to go to sleep and just never wake up. He needed affirmation… He needed someone to tell him it was going to be alright. He needed her.

"Today? You've always been good enough for me… You _never_ had to prove _anything_ to me… I've always been so proud of you for everything you do… You didn't have to let yourself get beaten half to death to impress me… Why would you do that to yourself?"

"I… I'm not… Strong enough t-to… Protect you… All I could do… Was keep getting… Back up and distracting them…

"You're th-the… Smart one, Sammy… I knew you'd… Figure out a way to save… Both of us… If I just… Gave us enough… Tiiiime…" He muttered.

"So tired… I just need… A little nap…"

"No, no, no! You can't go to sleep Simon!" Sam demanded. Simon looked at her, one eye swollen shut from being punched, his other eye bloodshot from being poked. He was missing several teeth. They were probably still littering the schoolyard. His nose was broken and he had a deep, jagged gash on the right side of his face. It was right under his eye, and was still bleeding. He flinched whenever her hands moved, so she assumed that at least one rib was broken, if not more.

"I… I have to take him to the hospital… Wake up, Simon! Tell me about your day at school!" Sam ordered. Simon nodded. His chest hurt so badly. His head was splitting like a quart of wood, he could barely see and there was a horrible ringing in his ears that wouldn't go away. But Sammy was telling him what to do… He couldn't deny her…"

"I… Got my test back… To… Ow…! Today…" Simon muttered, gripping his side. He could barely breathe. He wouldn't make it if she carried him to the hospital. They needed an ambulance. She reached for her cell phone and cursed… It had been broken in the fight. She took Simon's… It had also been broken… Shattered, really. She howled with rage at the idea that she couldn't even get Simon the medical attention he needed. She hefted Simon in her arms and headed into the nearest restaurant.

"Come on, Simon! Tell me how you did on your test. What subject was it?"  
"M-math…" he growled, every breath he took hurting him. "I… Got an 85…"

"That's great, Simon! We studied so hard for that test, and you did such a good job… I'm so proud of you." Sam said. She needed to keep encouraging him. She needed to build him up after the way he'd been beaten down. He needed to know she believed in him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Anatoli…" Sam said nervously."  
"Sammy! It's been far too long! How's my favorite diner doing?"  
"Y-yes, yes… I'm doing alright… But Simon… Well… He's not so lucky…" She said. The old, portly man looked down and gasped.

"What happened? He looks like he's been hit by a freight train!"

"Please! Just call an ambulance! Both our phones were broken!" Sam pleaded. Mr. Anatoli nodded and dialed 911, sitting down with Sam and Simon.

"Alright, Simon… You need to stay awake… I know it's hard, but I can't let you fall asleep… Concussion… Coma… I… It's all my fault…" Sam gasped, finally breaking down.

She was feeling such crippling guilt over letting her brother get hurt so badly. She had promised… She had promised him she would protect him. She was a liar, and a hypocrite.

"Oh, God! What have I done?" Sam wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks.  
"I never should've told her how I felt! I never should have thought it would work!" Simon reached up, his shoulder hitching in pain as he tried to move his injured right arm.

"It's alright, Sammy… It's not your fault… I made this decision… On… M-my… *HACK! COUGH!* On my own… I told you… It was the only way I could think of to protect you… I'm not smart like you, or strong like dad or skilled like mom… This was… All I could do… For you… And I would do it again… I would keep standing up… All day… E-every… Day… If it meant you could be safe… Just a little bit… Longer…"

Sam was feeling sick to her stomach… This was her fault… Did she really hurt Simon's self-confidence so much that he really believed that?"

"Simon… You're an amazing, wonderful person… You can do anything you want to do with your life… But you have to survive to be able to do it. Please… _Please_ … Don't do anything like this again!" She begged. Simon nodded, almost falling asleep, but picking his head up again.

Just as he did, some paramedics ran in and put Simon on a stretcher. Sam ran out with them, saying that she was his closest family at the time. They nodded and she climbed in after them… She had never ridden in the back of an ambulance, but somehow, she wasn't excited. The paramedics assessed Simon's problem, putting him on oxygen in case he stopped breathing from his brain damage and brought him into the emergency room, where he disappeared from Sam's sight.

Sam sat out in the waiting room, panicking the whole time… What if he didn't make it? What if he was in a coma for the rest of his life? What if their mom hated her for what she let happen? What if their mom and dad found out that she was a filthy lesbian and hated her for that? All of these questions flew through her mind, making her dizzy until she finally had to close her eyes and try to imagine a time when she was safe, when she could go to school and not be abused on a daily basis.

After what could have been thirty minutes or six hours, a woman came in and sat down next to Sam.

"Hello, Sammy…" Came the gentle voice. Sam looked up, terrified.

"Mom…" She whimpered. Amanda smiled gently at Sam, hugging her tightly.

"It's alright, Sammy… Nobody blames you for what happened… But what did happen?"

Sam couldn't even look her mother in the eye when she refused to answer her.  
"I… I can't tell you…" Sam muttered.

"Sammy… I know how loyal you are to Simon, but how can he get treatment if we don't know what happened to him?"

"I… Can tell you what injuries he got… He got hit over the head repeatedly… Fists, rocks, pipes… I think there was a pipe in there somewhere… It all got kind of blurry after a while…" Sam muttered.

"I need you to tell me what happened."

"I can't…" Sam muttered, tears stinging her beautiful blue eyes.

"Well… Fine then, you're grounded until either you tell me or until you're eighteen… Whichever comes first. No going out with friends, no birthday parties… No nothing."

"Fine… It's not like I have any friends left anyway…" Sam muttered angrily.

"What was that?"  
"Nothing… Forget about it… Just like you do with everything to do with Simon and me!" Sam said.

Suddenly, she felt an immense surge of anger at her mother, an anger that made her want to hurt her mother as badly as those bullies had hurt Simon. Naturally, she couldn't beat and kick her mother. So hurting her emotionally was the second best thing. She looked at her mother's eyes as she saw tears start to prick the corners. Sam suddenly felt a grim satisfaction.

"I'm sorry, Sammy… I never wanted to be away from home so much… I wanted to be able to be the mother that you and Simon needed… But you became such a good caretaker that… I-I guess I stopped worrying… I… I know it shouldn't be your job to take care of your little brother… But…"

"Yeah, fine… You need to make money. I get it." Sam said, turning her back on Amanda.

"Wait… You said you wanted to talk to me about something important yesterday… W-we could talk now…" She said hopefully. Sam looked at her mother with a look of such disgust that Amanda actually flinched. She had been a nurse for years, but somehow, the look her daughter gave her was more frightening than any of her patients, yelling profanities at her and threatening her.

"Whatever…" Sam muttered, turning away from Amanda again.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Sharp… You can go in and see Simon now." The doctor said. Amanda sent Sam in first, not wanting to overwhelm Simon.

Simon gasped as he woke up. He was still trembling from the nightmare he had. He had dreamt that the fight had gone much differently than it actually had. The bullies broke his knees so he couldn't stand and then he was forced to watch as they shaved Sam's head. She was screaming out, begging for Simon to help her, pleading with him to save her… But he couldn't.

He was stuck, lying there, watching as they finished shaving her head. They then began to beat and kick her, over and over again. She cried out in agony, and eventually she went silent. But he could remember the hateful glare she gave him.

"You failed me… You miserable, weak piece of shit! I hate you so much! You were never good enough for me! You couldn't protect me, and now I'm dying and it's all your fault!"

She cursed him as she breathed her last painful, rattling breaths and fell silent. Suddenly, Simon woke up, drenched in a cold sweat to see two doctors around him.

"Hey, there… You gave us all quite a scare… Do you know what your name is?" The doctor asked gently. She was a kind looking woman. Slender, with sharp features but wide, expressive eyes.

"S-S-Simon… Sh-Sharp…"

"What about the date… Do you know what day it is?"

"Um… W-Wednesday…"

"Tuesday, actually. Don't worry about it. Do you know who's in the White House?"

"Barack Obama." He said. "A lot of people don't like him."

"Good, good." He had a good grasp of politics for an eight year old.

"Do you know what year it is?"

"2014." Simon said.

"Right… What grade are you in?"

"Third."

"Good… You seem to not have any problems with your memory. Do you remember how you got here?"

"I remember an angel carrying me… Flashing lights… Sirens… Men… Urgent talking…"

"An angel?" The doctor asked. That didn't quite add up. The brain damage could have been messing with his ability to form coherent memories, so whoever was carrying him seemed like an angel.

"Have you met this angel before? Do you see them often?" She asked, wondering if it was common for him to have this delusion.

"I think so… I sort of recognized her voice… But I couldn't see very well… My eyes were really blurry." Simon said. The doctor nodded.

"That's probably damage to the Occipital Lobe of your brain. Can you see this pen moving? Follow it with your eyes if you can." She said. Simon followed the pen up and down and spinning around, moving towards him and away from him.

"Your vision seems to be improving. How can you see now?"

"It's still a little blurry… But I can see your eyes, if that means anything."

"Your attention to fine detail is improving. Are you having any auditory difficulties?"

"What now?"

"Can you hear alright?"

"There's still a ringing in my ears… But it's not as loud as before."

"That's good to know. Again, the Occipital Lobe governs the five senses… Well, there aren't only five senses, but for the purposes of this conversation, let's say there are. You may experience some changes in taste, either hyperactivation of your taste buds, or a slight lack of taste… You might be smelling too well or not well enough or smelling things that aren't necessarily there. These should all go away in time. It looks like you have a visitor. I'll let you go for now." She said with a smile, heading out of the room.

"Hey, Simon… You're looking better." Sam said. Simon couldn't even look Sam in the eye.

"I'm so sorry, Sammy… I-I failed you… Again…"

"You didn't fail me, sweetie… Er, Simon…" Sam said, forgetting to catch herself. She used to call Simon 'sweetie', because it helped calm him down if he was upset, or if he just had a nightmare and was scared.

"I've never met anyone as brave as you were today, Simon…" Sam said gently, sitting down next to her brother on his bed and enfolding him in a hug. He hugged her back, pressing himself against her, his head against her chest. He needed to hear her heartbeat. He needed to know that she was really alright, that this wasn't just a dream… That he wasn't about to wake up and find himself cold and alone, and have his sister's dead body lying next to him, beaten and bloody and cold.

Suddenly, he felt sick to his stomach.

"I did fail you… I-I'm sorry… I wasn't strong enough… I couldn't protect you… I couldn't fight those bullies… I-I couldn't…"

"Simon… There were ten of them… I couldn't have fought them either. You and I wouldn't have been able to fight them together. 2 against 10? I don't really like those odds.

"You were incredible today. You were so strong, and so tough and so brave… But… Seeing you get hurt like that… It was more than I could take… Please, Simon… _Please_ don't do that again. The bullying hurts now, but it will end eventually. They'll get tired of me and move on. Meanwhile, I don't want to end up carrying your body to the police station." Sam said gently.

"But… Your hair… They were… You love your hair so much… You take such good care of it, you have such beautiful hair…"

"My hair would grow back… I'll make new friends… Life will go on. With or without hair, I'm still your sister, and I still love you to the moon and back… You didn't need to get yourself nearly killed just to protect my hair." Sam said, kissing Simon on his nose.

That was something she used to do when they were kids. It was cute how annoyed he'd get, but then she'd look again and see him blushing happily and smiling, and she knew that he loved it when she did it.

"Do you know though? What I couldn't live without?" Sam asked. Simon shook his head.

"You. You make my life so much better… And I don't know what I would do if I lost you, especially if I lost you because you thought you had to fight for me." Sam said, holding Simon even closer.

He could feel her tears dropping on his gown, soaking the shoulders.

"W-why are you crying, Sammy?" Simon asked.

"I was just so scared… I was so scared that you wouldn't be alright. I was so scared that I was alone now. Friends come and go, schools change and people move on… But families are always supposed to be able to know that they can come home to each other…

"Please don't make me come home to an empty house…" Sam said. She knew how desperate and pathetic she sounded. But right now, she was also feeling pretty vulnerable. Simon needed someone to support him, and she needed someone to support her. As hard as her school life seemed, it was nice to know that she had a brother who cared so much about her.

"Sammy… I would fight for you any day. I would get back up and keep fighting over and over again until either I won or I died… I would do that all day, every day for you. You've protected me all my life… How could I look at myself in the mirror if I didn't try to do the same for you when you needed it?" Simon asked. Sam felt herself breaking down. She needed him to understand. She needed him to know…

"Simon… I appreciate your devotion… It means the world to me… But right now, what I need is a living brother, not a dead hero. You've always been my hero… You've always been the man I admire most in the world… I've always been so proud of you. You're a good, brave, strong, kind person… You don't need to get yourself killed to prove your devotion to me… Please… _Please,_ Simon… Just let it go… I'll live through this… It can't last forever. I promise you, it will get better… Just be patient."

Simon sighed, leaning into his sister, feeling so close to her right now. He had been so scared. His nightmares were only getting worse, they only got colder and angrier and darker. But now, sitting with Sam like this, maybe things would get better.

A/N: I'd like to give credit to Moon5555 for his help in writing this fanfiction.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I'd like to wish everyone a happy holiday. And to Moon5555, I'd like to wish him a Happy Birthday. This is just a fluff chapter. It doesn't really have a whole lot to do with the storyline. However, some character and plot development does happen, so enjoy.

Chapter Six

" _I-I… I'll protect you, Sammy…" Came Simon's voice, speaking through a broken jaw, multiple broken teeth and coughing violently, blood spraying from his mouth. Sam gasped as the bullies closed in on him. He had been fighting harder than ever to keep her safe, but it was never enough. No matter how much she told him to stop fighting her battles, he always came back. He always fought again. This time, it looked like he was going to die._

 _As the bullies were about to close in, she ran over and tackled him, covering him desperately as the bullies began kicking her over and over again. She cried out in agony as they kicked her everywhere. Her chest, her stomach, her arms, her head. But Simon was safe. She was about to be kicked to death, but she had kept her promise to Simon. She had protected him. Even if she couldn't completely keep her promise, even if he had gotten hurt sometimes because of his bravery, she had done everything she could for him._

 _Simon sobbed under her. She kissed him gently on the forehead, trying to talk, but as one of them kicked her in the side, driving the wind from her, she could only wheeze._

" _I… Love you… Simon…" She gasped. After a moment though, they lifted her up and threw her across the blacktop, where she landed with a hard thud and was immediately restrained while they began kicking and beating Simon._

 _She screamed desperately, trying to get up only to have her knees broken._

" _Let's see you walk like that, you little whore!" Saoirse said cruelly, giggling as blood began to pool around Sam's legs. The red haired girl held Sam's head and told her that if she didn't watch, that they would kick Simon until he was dead. Sam moaned miserably, opening her eyes and watching her little brother being kicked and kicked, over and over again._

 _She heard him crying out for her, begging her to save him, begging her to be the big sister she promised she would be, begging her to just do what she said she would do. Finally, though, he coughed blood once more and fell still. One of the bullies leaned over and smirked._

" _The little bastard is dead." He said with a cruel satisfaction that made Sam feel like her heart had just been ripped out of her chest._

" _Why don't you go over and check as well, Sammy?" Saoirse asked mockingly. Sam leapt up and ran over, staggering slightly from her broken knee, but falling down and shaking Simon, begging him to wake up, begging him to still be alive. Tears flooded down her cheeks as she realized that he was dead, and she screamed._

"NOOOOOO! SIMON!" She gasped, realizing that it had all been a dream… A nightmare. It was the worst she had ever had. She looked over and shrieked when she saw Simon sitting in a chair next to her bed.

"Hey, Sammy… Merry Christmas." He said. Sam clutched her chest, breathing deeply to calm herself down.

"M-m-Merry Christmas…" She muttered.

"What's wrong? You've been waking up a lot, lately. I hear you walking around the house for hours, and I don't want to bother you, but it's really late at night, and I'm worried about you."

"I'll be fine… I'm just having a little bit of trouble sleeping." Sam lied.

"Why are you lying to me? The bullying at school hasn't stopped, has it?" Simon asked. She refused to talk about it anymore, but it had been almost two months, and the bullying hadn't stopped, clearly.

"What? Of course it has. They got bored almost a month ago." Sam said with a laugh.

"Liar. Come on, Sammy… Please. Let me help you." Simon pleaded.

"There's nothing you can do, Simon. And you shouldn't have to do anything. You're eight. Your worst problems should be related to having an argument with your best friend, and not being able to find your homework. You shouldn't have to be worried about people at my school hazing me for being gay."

"But, Sammy!" Simon pleaded.

"NO!" Sam said, sounding harsher than she meant to.

"Please, Sammy! Let me help you! Let me tell Mom! Let me try to find a time when Dad is sober enough to tell him! Tell your teachers! Tell someone! Don't suffer alone!" He begged, tears flooding his bright blue eyes. Sam smiled gently at him, summoning him over to her.

She pulled him up on her bed and kissed him tenderly on the forehead.

"Simon… You're the best friend and best brother a girl could have. But I can't let you get hurt anymore… I can't let myself hurt you." Sam said, her eyes showing how sad and scared she was.

"You haven't hurt me. You would never hurt me. I told you. I would fight every day for you if I had to."

"Simon… I order you to let it go." Sam said firmly. "Please. I'll be fine. After this year, I'll be going to high school and most of these kids won't even be in the same school. Rumor has it that Saoirse will be travelling to England to enjoy the hospitality of better schools than ours. A private school that can offer her everything her father believes she deserves. With Saoirse gone, maybe things will calm down. Luke, Bridgett and Estelle were never bothered that I was a lesbian before.

"Well… Luke was kind of bummed cuz it meant that I would never feel the same way about him that he did about me. But other than that, they were cool about it. I think Estelle didn't really like Saoirse in particular. She was always very intuitive, and I think she recognized before I did what Saoirse was really like. I only wish I had paid attention." Sam sighed. Simon hugged Sam tightly.

"Sammy… Please tell Mom. _Please!_ I don't want to see you suffer anymore!"

"I told you. It will all be over sooner than you think. I know two months seems like forever when you're eight. But in a few years, this will all seem like an annoying memory."

"Is Mom going to be home today?" Simon asked. Sam looked away.

"I don't think so. I'm pretty sure she said she had to work on Christmas… Don't worry though. I'm cooking Christmas dinner."

"I don't care about dinner! I want to see Mom for Christmas! It's…"

"I know. It's not fair. But Mom has to work really hard. It takes a fair amount of money to keep us in this brownstone. It's not like we get it for free." Sam said. Simon nodded, hugging Sam more tightly.

"Why don't we go downstairs and open our presents?" Simon asked. Sam looked at the clock. 4 in the morning. But Simon was eager to go. Why not, right?" Sam yawned.

"Alright. I wasn't gonna get back to sleep anyway."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just a nightmare." Sam said, kissing Simon on the forehead. He looked away from her. He couldn't stand how much Sam loved him. He couldn't stand the idea that he wasn't strong enough to protect her, that he had failed her so miserably for two full months.

She got out of bed and put on her jeans, heading down to the living room and sitting next to their tree, handing Simon a box. Simon opened it and saw a huge case of colored pencils, paints and other art supplies. His eyes lit up, especially at the tag on it.

"To Simon, the greatest artist in the world. From Sammy." He hugged her tightly.

"Thank you…" He said, handing Sam a box as well. Sam opened it, smiling. He had bought her a gift card to her favorite music store. She hugged Simon tightly, causing him to blush again.

"This is the best gift I could have hoped for." She said. "Will you come with me and help me pick out my supplies?" She asked. Simon nodded.

The two then opened the rest of their presents. Sam was a little sad that she had received new rosin for her bow, some books with sheet music for her violin and other things for both her guitar and her violin… She hadn't been able to tell her mom that someone had destroyed her violin. She still didn't know who. They had disguised their handwriting, so even the faculty didn't know who had done it. Seeing the rosin and everything only made Sam feel worse.

She had done everything she could except carrying the violin with her all day. She locked the locker, she made sure that it was well hidden under her copious junk in the locker. But it just hadn't been good enough. Simon put a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"It's alright, Sammy… I'll help you pick out a new violin when you save up enough money… And hey, you got a hundred dollars from both our grandmas and from our aunties on both sides of the family."

"I-I know. And you haven't finished opening Mom's and Dad's presents. They usually give you some money. And you have my gift card… You could buy a new violin with what you have, right? And if it's not enough, we can use some of my money." Simon said. Sam was always overwhelmed by how kind Simon was. As mischievous as he could be, as much as he enjoyed causing trouble sometimes, he was a sweet kid. He was always thinking of others before himself.

He never had a mean word to say.

"No." Sam said. Simon gasped.

"What do you mean, no?"

"I won't let you spend your Christmas money on me. Buy art supplies. Buy… I dunno… Pokémon cards or Game Boy games… Do whatever it is you do with your money.

"Besides, you know I'm a waitress at Finnian's. I make pretty good tips there. I could've paid for a new violin already if I wanted to. I guess I was stuck feeling sorry for myself. With this Christmas money, I've got cash to spare for a violin. But I'd really like it if you could help me pick it out." Sam said, ruffling Simon's hair playfully.

They finished opening their presents, and Sam found that she had over 700 dollars from various friends and family members for Christmas. She could easily buy a new violin. Simon got about the same amount and he was thrilled that he would be able to buy the art set that he had his eye on. It was two hundred dollars, and he had been saving his allowance for months to afford it, and wasn't even halfway there yet until today. Now, he had more than enough.

Sam predicted that by New Year's they both would have spent a fair amount of their Christmas money on things they wanted. For the rest of the day, Sam pulled out her guitar, and the two of them sang Christmas carols and other songs they both loved for the rest of the day and just hung out.

At 4, Sam started preparing dinner. She was hardly a great chef, but Simon always liked the food she made. She started heating up the oven and putting together the food. When the oven was hot, she put it in and by 6, dinner was ready. Simon sighed as they sat down.

"Hey, Dad…" Sam said, shaking her father awake. He looked up at her blearily, clearly still under the effects of alcohol.

"Y-yeah…"

"Dinner's ready. Merry Christmas, Dad." Sam said, trying to smile. Her father struggled to get off the couch, groaning as he wavered on his feet slightly before stumbling to the dining room and sitting down.

"Did you make this, Sammy?" He asked. Sam nodded, blushing slightly.

"I'm impressed." Her father replied. Sam smiled.

"Don't forget, Dad. You have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. He's taking a look at that knee of yours."

"I don't see much point, Sammy… I'm never going to be able to walk like I used to. But you shouldn't have to listen to me whining… Merry Christmas everyone. Where's Amanda?" 

"Um… M-Mom… Couldn't join us tonight… She's probably gonna be home late." Sam said. Erik put a gentle hand on Sam's shoulder. Even through the smell of booze, even with his untrimmed stubble, even through the eyes of a broken man, Sam always could tell how gentle and kind her father was as a person. Even when he was completely smashed, he never lifted a hand to anyone. He was never abusive. Sometimes he yelled and ranted and raved. But he was a kind, gentle man, even after his terrible accident.

Sam smiled at her father and hugged him tightly.

"I love you, Dad." She said. He smiled warmly at her as well.

"I love you too, Sammy, and Simon. You're the best part of my life." He said to them, putting a bit of everything on his plate.

"This smells delicious, Sammy… Where did you learn to cook so well?" He asked, taking a bite of it.

"Oh… I guess I just picked it up here and there." Sam said modestly. She had been cooking for years. She cooked almost all of Simon's meals to make sure he had a balanced diet. Just as they were about to dig into their meals as well, the front door opened.

"Hey, everyone! Merry Christmas!" Amanda called. Sam and Simon gasped and they ran out to the entryway, hugging their mother tightly.

"Mom! What are you doing home so early?" Sam asked.

"You usually don't come home until after I'm in bed."

"Well… I realized that there's no excuse to not spend Christmas with my family. No amount of overtime could possibly be worth spending this day away from you. Ooh… What is that I smell? It smells amazing." Amanda said, walking into the kitchen and seeing the casserole on the table.

"Ooh… Chicken broccoli casserole… One of my favorites." She said, taking down a plate and sitting down with her family.

"So… Sammy, how has school been going?" She asked. She noticed a pained expression briefly cross her daughter's face. But it disappeared as quickly as it showed up.

"It's… Alright, I guess."

"How are violin lessons going?"

"My violin got broken. I… I dropped it down the stairs by accident."

"Oh, no…" Amanda said. "That's terrible… But you're alright, right? You didn't fall?" She asked. Sam shook her head. "No. I'm fine." Sam lied. She couldn't count the number of times bullies had cornered her and physically attacked her. They made sure to only hit her in places that could be hidden by her clothes.

It was mid-winter, so she was always wearing long sleeves. So they had a wide variety of places they could hit. She knew it would only get worse before it got better. But for now, her life wasn't in danger, and they weren't beating on her every day. Maybe two or three days a week on a particularly bad week. Most weeks, she came to school on Monday expecting to be assaulted, so she could prepare herself for it.

It didn't feel good, she didn't like it. But at least it wasn't a surprise. After that, it was unusual for it to happen again until next week. She had a feeling that Saoirse was building up to a climax, where she would try to completely destroy Sam, physically and emotionally. But she couldn't see that point in Saoirse's scheme yet. She just had to try to put it off if she could and take each day as it came.

"You don't seem fine, sweetie." Amanda said gently.

"Won't you try trusting me? I know it's hard… I've never been the mother that you two deserve. But I'd like to at least try to help you if I can." She added. Sam sighed.

"I'll be fine." Amanda sighed. She wasn't going to get anything out of her daughter. And she knew that Simon was too loyal to Sam to say anything.

Still, she had to try, didn't she?" They finished dinner and started cleaning up. Later, Sam went up to her room, but Amanda held Simon back.

"Hey, Simon? I can tell that something is wrong with Sammy… Does she talk to you about what's troubling her?" His mother asked.

"Sammy talks to me about everything. She trusts me to keep her secrets." Simon said.

"Well… I admire your loyalty… Sammy's in trouble, isn't she?" Amanda asked. Simon didn't say anything.

"I want to be able to help her… I-I don't blame her for not trusting me. But that doesn't mean I don't want to help her. Maybe you can give her the help she isn't seeking for herself?"

"I'm not going to betray Sammy… Not for anything. She knows what she's doing. She told me so herself." Simon said. "Merry Christmas, Mom… Dad." Amanda looked at Erik. But if Amanda wasn't able to get Simon to talk, Erik was even less likely to be able to. Simon didn't trust Amanda, but he actively disliked Erik. Simon had never known his father as anything more than a drunk, staggering around the house, bleary eyed and slurring his words.

Simon had been terrified of him as a younger child. But Sam had been able to bring him around. Now, Simon just plain didn't like him. And Erik didn't blame Simon for that. There wasn't much to like about him anymore… Not from Erik's point of view, anyway.

"I guess we should just start getting ready for bed, sweetie." Amanda said, going upstairs and brushing her teeth.

"Merry Christmas, Amanda. I love you." Erik said.

"I love you too, Erik." Amanda replied.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Hey, so Simon… What are you going to do with your Christmas money?" Sam asked with a smile. Simon grinned.

"I'm gonna get that art kit that I've been wanting. All those paints and pencils and everything I could possibly want! They say the paints in that kit are amazing quality." 

"Well, at two hundred dollars, it better be the best damn art kit on the market." Sam blushed. She hadn't meant to rhyme like that. Simon laughed, though.

"Do you wanna get your violin first?" Simon asked. Sam thought for a moment. They were right down the road from the music store. She sighed.

"Yeah… I do…" She said. Simon smiled, heading up to the door and holding it for her.

"My, what a gentleman." Sam teased, walking in.

"Hey, Linus. How's it going?" Sam asked, waving cheerfully at Linus, who smiled back at her. He was five years older than her, and she thought she had a crush on him as a kid. She even asked him to marry her when she was seven.

His father owned the shop and they were pretty good friends, despite the difference in their age.

"Oh… Sammy… This is Saoirse McCullen. Do you know her? She says she goes to the same school as you. Sam's entire body felt ice cold. She had been hoping to not run into Saoirse until she went back to school. She knew she couldn't avoid her there. But why did she have to see her during her Christmas break.

"Oh, dear… Sammy… You don't look so good… Are you alright?" Saoirse asked sweetly. Sam nodded numbly. Saoirse advanced on Sam.  
"Don't worry… I'm just here getting work down on my violin. My family gets pretty big discounts here… I could probably convince them to give you the discount instead of me… It's not like we need them."

"What's your game right now?"

"Sweetie… All of life is a game. But right now, I really am just here to get my violin worked on. I don't know what your price range is, but if you're looking to replace that abomination of a violin that you had before, I recommend spending at least 100 dollars more than you did before… Preferably 200-300 more.

"Let me guess… Your mommy bought you that violin for what? 700 dollars?" Saoirse asked with a cruel smirk. Sam nodded, feeling angry tears stinging her eyes.

"Yeah, a decent violin costs 1,000 dollars or more. But I'm guessing that you don't have that, even with all your aunties and uncles and Mommy and Daddy giving you Christmas money. Am I right?" Saoirse asked. Sam nodded.

"What do you have?"

"800… Well, 850 if you count the gift card to this store."

"Hey, Linus… Can Sammy get that violin? The one up on the shelf over there? Just put it on my family's discount plan." Saoirse said. Sam blushed, but she knew she couldn't really complain. If she was going to be able to afford a 1,000 dollar violin, she had no right to complain.

"Sure thing, Saoirse. Do you want me to wrap it up? Is this a gift for your girlfriend?"

"No. We're not dating or anything. Just helping out a friend." Saoirse said. Linus smiled and climbed up to the shelf and took the violin down, putting it in a case and handing it to Sam.

"Alright… Your total comes to 750 dollars and 42 cents." Linus said. Sam gasped. That was so cheap.

"H-how much was it before?"

"1500… Why do you ask?" Linus asked. Sam's eyes were wide was saucers. Saoirse had really just gotten her more than 50% off of her violin. She couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, though. Sam had incredible pride, and having Saoirse giving her charity like this didn't sit well with her, especially since she knew that Saoirse probably had some ulterior motive.

It may have been nothing more than a desire to prove to Sam that she could make a subtle act of cruelty seem like genuine kindness. Sam was so embarrassed that she was seen to be relying on Saoirse like this, and she didn't doubt that the redheaded Irish girl would be talking about it at school… Sammy was too poor to replace her own violin, so Saoirse had to step in and help her.

"I-I'll pay you back for the discount, Saoirse…" Sam muttered, still bright red.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Sammy… My father donates huge amounts of money to stores like this. He says that home owned businesses are an important part of any community. So he spreads his money around, and we get the benefit of discounts when we shop here." Saoirse smiled. Sam smiled as well.

"Th-thank you…"  
"You're welcome." Saoirse said, smiling at Simon as well, ignoring his murderous glare.

"Well… Thank you for the repairs on my violin, Linus… Best of New Years' to you and your family." Saoirse said, taking her violin. Sam gasped. It was gorgeous.

It was jet black and gleaming like the sun and had golden writing on it saying Cremona on it. She put it in a beautiful black wooden and silver case and winked at Sam.

"I see you admiring my violin. It was a gift from my father for my birthday. Custom made."

"I see… Very nice. And that's what? 10,000? 15,000?"

"75,000 by American dollars. But who's counting?" Saoirse asked.

Their conversation was quiet enough and Linus distracted enough that he couldn't hear them. Right… Who's counting the difference between 10,000 dollars and 75,000 dollars? To Sam, that was the difference between her annual salary, not including tips and her mom's annual salary. It was flooring to think that Saoirse could have so much money that 75,000 dollars was considered disposable income.

"My father says that when I get better at playing, he'll by me a Stradivarius. Well… I better get going. Finny is outside waiting for me. Did you want a ride home?"

"Oh, no thank you. We have some other things to do today." Sam said. The two parted ways, leaving Sam still slightly shocked that their encounter had gone so well… Saoirse was smug as fuck, even when she was supposedly being nice… But maybe she wasn't as evil as she seemed before.

"Sam genuinely wanted to believe that people were inherently good. But for the past two months, Saoirse had made it really hard to maintain that belief. Today though, she may have been smug, she may have been slightly unbearable in her narcissism, but she carried on a pretty civil conversation with her. Maybe she wasn't as bad as Sam had previously thought. She and Simon went to the art store and Simon went directly to the desk and saw two art kits.

One was the one he had his eye on for over a year. The other one was an upgraded version, but cost 350 dollars. His eyes went wide. It was incredible, containing books on painting and various other media, clay for sculpting, X-Acto knives and various other instruments.

"I see you have your eye on this, young man. It doesn't come cheap, but it's worth every penny." The shopkeeper said, opening it up and showing him each individual item and explaining the use of some of the more obscure items.

He didn't want Simon to walk away not knowing how to use half the items in the kit and think that it had been a waste of money. Simon smiled and took out his money.

"Wow… You wanna buy this art kit? Is that your Christmas money?" The shopkeeper asked.  
"Yeah. How much do I owe you?" Simon asked.

"374.50." The man said. Simon nodded, counting out his money and handing it to the man, getting some change and heading out of the store with Sam.

"You're happy with what you got?"

"Yeah…" Simon said.

"You spent almost twice as much as you were expecting to."

"You spent more than you intended to as well…" Simon said. Sam laughed.

"Yeah… Well… I guess I didn't want to seem cheap in front of Saoirse." Sam said, blushing at that realization that Saoirse's opinion somehow mattered to her.

"Why do you care what that bitch thinks? She's made your life miserable for almost two months!" Simon snapped. Sam sighed, rubbing her little brother's head.

"I guess it shouldn't matter… But damnit, she's…"

"You still like her, don't you?" Simon asked. Sam felt tears stinging her eyes.  
"I-I don't know… I'm really confused… I've never met anyone as beautiful as she is, but she's been so cruel to me… And more importantly to you…"

"Sammy… You can do better than Saoirse… I just know there's someone out there who you'll love and who will love you just as much… And she'll treat you with all the respect you deserve. I know she's out there somewhere, and that you'll find her. You don't need Saoirse." Simon said. Sam nodded, hugging Simon tightly.

"Thank you… I love you, Simon… You're the best brother a girl could hope for." Sam said, unlocking the door to their brownstone. As soon as they got in, Sam took out her violin and began rosining the bow, tuning the strings and started playing. The sound that came out of it was divine… It was nothing like she had heard before. Did eight hundred dollars really make that big a difference in violin quality? Clearly it did. She played a few pieces before putting it away and heading up to her own room.

A/N: As chapters go, this one was pretty short for me. I like to have at least four, if not five pages to a chapter. But alas, this was mostly a fluff chapter that sort of sets the groundwork for later chapters. The groundwork set is loose, but important if you're paying attention.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Trigger Warning: There's a sexual assault scene in this chapter. For those who are set off by this kind of thing, I'm warning you now.

Chapter Eight

Three months went by… The beatings were only getting worse. She often limped home in the evening, her knee swollen like a melon, her eye swollen shut, cuts and bruises all over her body. She didn't get beaten up every day. She could almost guarantee a beating on Monday to make up for two days of freedom, and often she had a beating on Friday. But many weeks, she only had one beating a week. Sometimes two and very rarely three.

She was starting to lose her faith that people were inherently good. It was frightening that she was starting to believe that people were bad and that she couldn't trust anyone she wasn't related to. She dodged around a corner, seeing three kids that frequently gave her her weekly beating and ran into Saoirse. The red haired girl turned around and smiled.

"Oh! Sam. Gosh, you look awful. Come here…" Saoirse said, taking out some cream and rubbing it on her black eye.

"It's not perfect, but it speeds healing of minor injuries. You should be able to see out of that eye again in a day or so." Saoirse said. Sam nodded. She was so confused.

"Hey… I think we need to talk…"

"You're not gonna ask me out again, are you?" Saoirse asked. Sam shook her head.

"No… I mean… I know you probably hate me…"

"Go on." Saoirse said, intrigued by Sam's boldness.

"But… I can't let this go on. I kind of hoped that whatever problems you have with me, we can talk out… Maybe we can come to an understanding or something."

"Interesting." Saoirse said. "You have my attention."

"Maybe we could get some food at Pollock's Café and have some tea or something and we can just talk about whatever is causing this trouble. Because frankly, there are only so many more excuses that I can make that my parents will believe before they start to get even more suspicious about my activities, and I won't lie… Being beaten up hurts and I'm not really interested in keeping this going.

"So we can have tea together and talk about our problems? My treat." Sam said with a hopeful smile. Saoirse's eyes widened at this last part.

"You… Want to pay for my food and drink?" She asked suspiciously.

"Well… I'm the one inviting you… It's only polite, right?"

"Oh, yeah… Well… I've just never had anyone offer to pay for me. It's flattering. Sure… Just let me make a call… I need to rearrange some appointments. But yeah… I'd love to get some tea and biscuits with you." Saoirse said.

"Biscuits?"

"I guess you would call them cookies, wouldn't you?"

"Oh! Of course…" Sam said shyly, heading a ways away so that Saoirse could have some privacy. Five minutes later, the two girls were heading to Pollock's. It was a short walk, and soon they were seated with their drinks. Saoirse had decaf tea and Sam had orange juice.

"So… Saoirse, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable with my confession… It was never my intention." Sam said. Saoirse smiled. It wasn't her usual devious or sadistic grin.

"You don't need to apologize, Sam… I admit I went a little overboard as well… Okay… Very overboard. I guess… No, I don't really have an excuse for why I would treat you like I did."

"I don't want an excuse, but I'd like to hear your reasons. I'm not here to sling accusations at you. I'm here to discuss with you… I'd like to find a solution that can make us both happy." Sam said. Saoirse smiled, seeming genuinely grateful.

"Well… You see… I do like you as a person… You're nice, and you were one of the first people to welcome me when I came to this school…

"I guess I enjoyed being your friend… I know what I said… My father doesn't really encourage me to have friends. Friendship is seen as weakness in my family. There are people who use you, people you use and people you've developed an equilibrium with. Friendship is a waste of time and a waste of energy, especially when friends can become enemies so quickly.

"Even people with whom you supposedly have an equilibrium, you have to watch out for constantly because they're constantly trying to get the upper hand. So you have to be doing the same thing… But if you'll forgive me, you were so guileless and trusting and genuinely kind that I wasn't sure what I was to you and what you were supposed to be to me. You clearly weren't trying to manipulate me. You didn't seem to want anything from me… Except my friendship…

"I guess I overreacted when you asked me out. I guess I had come to believe that you really didn't want anything from me… Then you asked me out… In my world, in my family, being in a relationship usually isn't about love or even necessarily respect. It's about give and take. It's about what you can get out of it and trying to give as little back in exchange. It's a constant power struggle." Saoirse looked up, seeing how horrified Sam looked at what she was saying.

"My whole life is pretty much planned out for me. My father, curse his soul to Hell… Which I don't believe in… Plans on me graduating from high school… Preferably as valedictorian, although he would accept salutatorian, even if he wouldn't exactly be thrilled about it. He wants me to go on to an Ivy League college and get a PhD. The subject I take is up to me… How generous of him, right?

"He expects me to marry a wealthy man… Preferably from a powerful company so that our marriage could represent a merger between my father's company and my new husband's company… As a woman, I can't inherit the company… Likely my oldest cousin will inherit the company when my father dies. Still, I'm learning all about business and corporations so that I can be well-versed in the subject. I play violin, flute, cello, trumpet, clarinet, and saxophone.

"I have to be able to cook, sew, paint, draw, sculpt and various other art forms… I'm a black belt in three martial arts and a master belt in one. So… If my cruelty seems over the top… I get carried away sometimes… My father never encouraged me to be kind, so… I-I'm really sorry for the way I've treated you. But listen to me… Jabbering on about myself. Tell me about you." Saoirse said. Sam gasped, wiping tears away. Saoirse's life seemed horrible.

As rich as she was, she didn't seem happy.

"What is there really to tell? My mom is a nurse, my father was a construction worker…"

"Was?" Saoirse asked.

"Well… He had a really bad injury to his knee when I was about five… He hasn't been the same since. His knee is in constant pain…"

"Alcohol." Saoirse said offhandedly. Sam nodded.

"I'm sorry." She said gently. "What was he like before his accident?"

"Well… He was strong… He was extremely muscular and tall… He's still tall… Around 6'8"." Sam said. Saoirse whistled.

"Wow. That is tall. What was he like personally?" Saoirse said, deeply impressed.

"Well… He was kind… He had such a soft, gentle voice. You could tell when he was angry, but he never raised his voice. Sometimes I remember wishing he would so I wouldn't feel so ashamed of myself for making him mad. But he would always hug and kiss me in the end and tell me that he would always love me, no matter what.

"We're not rich… But we do alright, and we love each other… And Mom always says that love is something no amount of money can buy. I wish Mom would be home more often… I haven't even gotten a chance to tell her that I'm… You know…"

"A lesbian." Saoirse said. "You're lucky you even feel safe telling her that. My father would kick me out in an instant if I told him that I was a lesbian.

"I had a brother. He was kicked out when he was eighteen. You know what he did?"

"What?" Sam asked, not sure she wanted to know.

"He fell in love with a commoner. She was a really nice woman. Really pretty, really smart. But she wouldn't take the family anywhere, and he refused to leave her. So my father, charming man that he is told him that he could keep his whore… But that he was no longer welcome in our house."

Sam shivered. He had heard of unforgiving parents. But this was obscene.

"I'm really sorry for the way I've been treating you. My father… He always said that if someone betrayed you, that you have to grind them into the dirt and make sure they can never get up again… Because if they can, they'll undoubtedly betray you again… I can see that I misunderstood your intentions for me… And I hope we can at least… Bury the hatchet as you Americans say.

"I know it's far too late to ask your forgiveness… But I would be satisfied if you said you don't hate me." Saoirse muttered, seeming genuinely ashamed of her rush to judgment towards Sam.

"Of course I forgive you. Staying angry wouldn't do anyone any good." Sam said, reaching out and shaking Saoirse's hand.

"I don't think we can be friends… I… I just…"

"I understand. I've hurt you too badly for that to be a viable outcome. Still, I feel like we've made a lot of progress… The biscuits are really good. Is this dark chocolate and white chocolate in them?"

"Yeah… Delicious, right?" Sam asked cheerfully. Saoirse nodded and got up.

"Excuse me, while I use the loo. I do have to get home… My father will be angry if I'm too late." Saoirse said. Sam nodded and got the bill, putting some money down and waiting until Saoirse got back. As they walked outside, Saoirse looked nervous.

"S-Sam… I know how audacious I sound in asking this… But could you walk home with me? I've never had to go home alone… Usually Finny, my family's driver takes me wherever I need to go. But he's off duty already…"

"Say no more… Just tell me where we're headed." Sam said. Saoirse smiled as they walked around the city into a fairly quiet locale.

Sam was so distracted, as she had never been to this part of the city before that she didn't notice when Saoirse pulled a Taser out of her pocket and jammed it into Sam's neck. As Sam went down, she saw a cold, calculating look in Saoirse's eyes as Sam's vision went blurry and she passed out.

"Hey, _Sammy_ …" Came a cruel but somehow sweet voice. Sam groaned as she began to feel a tingling sensation in her tongue and indeed her whole body. She struggled to stand up, but although her leg wasn't broken, trying to put pressure on her knee was agony… She screamed in pain and collapsed back to the ground. She wasn't tied up. But clearly, she didn't need to be. She wasn't going anywhere.

"Hey, Sam… Good to see you in the waking world again… It's getting a bit dark, so we were hoping you'd wake up soon… Now we can get on with business and be on our way. These are my associates… Blaze, from high school… Spike from middle school… Although I think he's been held back a few years… Razor from high school… And a few others whose names I didn't catch. Pretty sure none of those are their real names. Now, tell me that your freak little brother isn't going to bother us tonight.

"Oh, you probably can't talk very well still… Well that's okay. Silence is an admirable trait in a lady… Or so my father says. Blaze, Spike… Get the ropes. They're to the left.… No. The other left…" Saoirse said, seeming impatient with their apparent dimwittedness. They went into the bag and pulled out some sturdy looking ropes.

"Don't tie her up just yet. We have to start getting her clothes off. Tonight is going to be a masterpiece, if I do say so myself… And oh my. It looks like rain… It's awfully cold outside to be out without clothes on, don't you think, Sammy? Well… If you don't struggle it might be over quickly… It might even be painless. I'm not really sure. I've heard bad things about this experience, but not having faced it myself, I can't say for sure." Saoirse said. Sam growled something.

"What was that? You'll have to speak up. I can't hear a word you're saying."

"Fuck you, trash!" Sam snarled. Saoirse laughed and snapped her fingers. A tall, brutish looking man walked over and kicked Sam in the stomach three times, violently driving the wind from her and causing her to cough blood.

"That might have been a bit too rough, Blaze… Remember, we don't want to kill her just yet. You don't want to either… How will you have fun with her if she's dead? Well, unless you're into that kind of thing. I won't judge." Sam felt like she was about to throw up. She couldn't move, her knee wasn't letting her even put pressure on it, much less stand on it, and she was about to be raped and killed… And then these savages were probably going to rape her again.

She struggled, dragging her body towards the edge of the alleyway, only to have her back stomped on by a heavy boot.

"NNNGGHH!" Sam growled as the wind was driven from her lungs. She kept trying to escape only to have her face kicked.

"You shouldn't keep trying to escape. Just because we're going to violate you doesn't mean we want to hurt you unnecessarily. These gentlemen are gonna have their way with you… Quite a few times if they have their way… Then we're gonna kill you… I'll make sure they make it quick. No need to prolong your suffering more than necessary, right? Now let's get you out of those ugly clothes of yours." Saoirse said. The boys closed in on her and began pulling her pants down. Saoirse laughed.

"Mm… You actually have a pretty good body, Sam… I can see why Luke was so taken with you. You're pretty…" Saoirse said mockingly.

"Well, don't lay about…" Saoirse said. "Finish getting her undressed. Have you seen how filthy this alleyway is? We don't want her clothes to get ruined while you're doing the deed."

One of the boys grabbed her arms and yanked the shirt off her head. She desperately covered her chest, turning a bright red, tears streaming down her cheeks, shivering violently from the cold. The rain had already begun and was soaking into her hair and her skin. She was so cold, covering herself up and curling into a ball to try to keep warm and to try to protect herself from the monsters she was facing.

"Mm… Alright, well… Let's get to work." Saoirse said… "Zane! Pull your damn pants back up!" She hissed in his ear. "We're not doing that!"

"B-but Miss McCullen… You said…"

"I know what I said to her. But look. If your dick jumps out of your pants, you're going to find yourself jumping out of a building in the near future. Got me?" She growled.

She made sure Sam couldn't hear her.

"Not yet, Zane, darling. We have to build up to that. You do want this lady's first time to be special, don't you?" Saoirse asked, winking at Sam. The blond haired girl felt her stomach turn at the thought of this. In the next moment, the high school boy got on top of her, his hands running all over her body. She could feel herself tensing up, struggling to get out of his grip. He was too strong, though.

She cried out, begging someone to help her. Begging someone to come save her. She felt pathetic, waiting for someone else to save her. She had always been able to take care of herself. But now, she was overwhelmed… She couldn't handle it. Her arm flew out, hitting the man in the face. He yelled out in anger and punched her in the nose, breaking it. Sam cried out in pain, blood spraying from the wound.

"Stop fighting, bitch!" He said roughly, kissing her heavily, bruising her lips, growling that if she bit him, he would knock out all her teeth one by one. She whimpered as his hands went over her flat chest and dragged down to her stomach, moving down to her womanhood, dragging over her, back and forth. She felt herself groaning involuntarily as he stuck his fingers inside her. She couldn't believe she was getting turned on by this. She didn't even like men. She gritted her teeth, tears filling her eyes.

As he leaned down over her to go to work on her, she elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to growl and punch her in the head. She felt a heavy punch to her chest and she gasped, clutching it right over her heart. She groaned as she felt like she was about to have a heart attack, trembling violently. The man's hands slipped back to her chest, stroking it softly, his fingers moving back down to her stomach, pushing into her womanhood again. She cried out again. This time, it was fear, though.

This continued for a while before Saoirse walked over to Sam, kneeling down and dumping a bucket of ice cold water on her just as she started to zone out.

"No, no sweetie… We can't have you checking out on us. That wouldn't be much fun, would it? Now… Maybe we can turn you into less of a freak tonight… Less of a disgusting, filthy dyke… What do you think?"

"I used to think you were the most beautiful woman in the world. I idolized you… But Simon is right. You're a filthy, hideous troll!" Sam growled. Saoirse nodded, her calm disconcerting even to her subordinates. They backed away, afraid of what she might do. They had seen her enraged only once, and that time, they watched as she kicked someone repeatedly until they were a bloody mess. Suddenly, Sam cried out in agony as Saoirse kicked her in the stomach over and over again.

Sam grunted in pain, trembling violently and trying to curl up as Saoirse kicked her wherever she could hit, over and over again. Her back, her chest, her face, her stomach. Finally, Saoirse bent over and hissed at Sam.

"Apologize, you little cow!"

"No…" Sam whispered defiantly.

"Zane… Bring Sam over to that puddle. She looks like she needs a little dip." Saoirse said. Zane nodded, picking Sam up by the arm and dragging her over to the puddle.

"Now… You'll apologize to me." Saoirse said.

"Fuck you…" Sam whispered, coughing violently. Her chest and stomach felt like they were on fire. She could barely breathe to begin with.

"Dunk her." Saoirse said. Zane nodded, pushing Sam's head into the deep puddle, smirking as she screamed and thrashed under his hand. Saoirse nodded and Zane pulled her up.

"Are you ready to be civilized and treat me with the respect I deserve?"

"Oh, I _am_ treating you with all the respect you deserve…" Sam gasped, now gasping for breath just from that one sentence.

"You know, after I'm done with you, I'll go after that little creep of a brother of yours… Crushing on his sister like that… You may be weird, but he's just sick. Maybe we can put him out of everyone's misery."

Sam gasped, shaking her head.

"P-please! No! K-kill me if you have to, but don't hurt Simon!" She pleaded

"Put her back under."

Sam went back under. At first, she struggled, but her struggling became weaker.

"You seem to be laboring under the delusion still that I can't do both. I could kill you and torment him." Saoirse said cruelly as Sam's head came back up. As she came up, Sam's expression was completely different. She was terrified, tears flooding her bright blue eyes. Saoirse looked enraged, her expression no longer serene or friendly.

"Apologize." She said. Sam gasped for breath, trying to work some feeling back into her hands and feet.

"Please! Please, don't hurt Simon!" Sam begged again. She couldn't even think about apologizing. She was gasping for air. She could barely breathe, and her entire body felt like it was ice cold and on fire at the same time. Saoirse sneered.

"You know, if you go down this time, you're not coming back up, sweetie." Saoirse said brightly. Sam couldn't speak. She could barely breathe. Her heart was racing and her head was spinning.

"Fine… Zane?" Saoirse said. Zane pushed her under again. This time, her protests were weaker. She thrashed for a moment or two before it became weak again, and finally, the bubbles stopped and her body went limp. Zane seemed scared for a moment.

"Don't worry… She's not dead." Saoirse said. "Pull her out." She ordered, taking Sam's pulse.

"She's still alive. Just unconscious. Now, dump those rags she calls clothes into the puddle. Just leave them there. That's where whores get their clothes, from the trash." Saoirse said dismissively. Zane had done some pretty bad things in his life, but Saoirse even scared him. He didn't even dare disobey her. Throwing Sam's clothes in the puddle and pushing them down so they got soaked, he followed Saoirse.

As they were walking away though, one of the high school boys started pulling down his pants again. Saoirse looked at him fiercely.

"If you don't want to die a slow, painful death, you'll pull your pants back up this instant!" Saoirse ordered. The boy gulped.

"B-but… Saoirse…"  
"That's Miss McCullen to you! Look… I understand… This whole thing probably has you pretty hot and heavy. Do what you gotta do when you get home. Beat your dick all night, fuck a slapper if you have to. But this…" She said, pointing at his pants. "Is not what we're doing tonight. And if I find out you came back later and had your way with her, I'll hunt you down and make you only wish I had killed you quickly.

"Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes…"  
"Yes what?" Saoirse demanded viciously.

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"That's better. Now. Pull your pants up and get the bloody fuck out of here."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

 _Simon had only been to Sam's school a few times in his entire life. Looking at her locker, the door caved in, spray paint all over it. Words like "slut", "whore" and "dyke" written in Sharpie. He couldn't believe the school hadn't repaired her locker yet. It must have happened a while ago since the Sharpie was dry and there was nothing left in her locker. He went down the hall and saw a soda can tab bracelet that he had painstakingly made for Sam in the garbage, torn in half. He pulled it out, looking at it._

 _She wore that bracelet every day. She almost never took it off. For it to have been torn up like that and thrown away, she would have put up quite a fight to prevent that. He saw flecks of blood on it, probably Sam's. He kept walking around the school and saw another trash can with Sam's possessions in it. Her song notebook that looked like it had something dumped on it, and when he fished it out, it was sticky and smelled weird. Whatever was on it was much thicker than soda and smelled really gross. Her book of drawings which had been torn up, was back in her locker and doused in what looked like nail polish._

 _There was a strong smelling something all over a lot of her possessions that smelled like Sam's room when she was taking her nail polish off. It burned his eyes and nose to smell it. He couldn't believe that anyone would do this to Sammy. There was dark red lipstick writing on the inside of the locker, notes about how they would turn her into a 'real woman', how they would 'fuck the dyke out of her'. It was disgusting. He loved everything about Sam. Whoever she loved, Simon would love too._

 _If they made Sammy happy, it was Simon's job to be happy for her. He would be jealous at first that they were taking away his time with her. But he would get over it. Anger welled up inside of Simon. Sam couldn't hide her beatings. She couldn't hide how scared she looked all the time, how she jumped at the slightest provocation now._

 _But she hadn't said a word about these supposedly small things. Her property being vandalized, her artwork being defaced and desecrated. He couldn't believe that anyone could be so cruel._

He went up to a boy he recognized as Luke.

"Excuse me… Luke Diedrich… Right?" Simon asked.

"Simon! Hey, buddy! It's been a really long time! You've grown so much!" Luke said cheerfully, ruffling Simon's hair. Simon's eyes narrowed.

"If I had my way, you would never see Sammy again." Simon muttered darkly

"What?" Luke asked.

"Never mind… Did you… Happen to see what Sammy did after school today?"

"Um… W-why do you ask?" Luke asked nervously. Simon growled.

"She never came to pick me up from school. She always picks me up at the same time every day. Today, there was no call, no text, no message from the principal… She just never showed up. Luke grimaced slightly. It wasn't that late still… Simon was right to be concerned, but all in all, Sam wasn't that late.

"Well… She was talking to Saoirse McCullen last I saw her… All I really heard was Sammy saying that she wanted to bury the hatchet and talk out their problems. Personally, I think she's fighting a lost cause, but I admire her for trying.

"Do you still love Sammy? Are you still in love with her?" Simon asked. Luke nodded. He knew he didn't have a chance with her.

He respected her sexuality and was sad that she was being abused like she was for it. Simon's next words cut him like a knife, though.

"Then why have you been ignoring her?" He demanded. "If you love her… If you're still in love with her, you should be there for her, whether you think she's going to return your feelings or not. That's how I know our mom doesn't love us.

"If she did, she would be here for me and Sammy instead of working all the time. Especially now when it's so obvious that Sammy is in pain… That Sammy needs help so desperately. That's how I know that even if you say you love her, you don't really… If you did, you wouldn't have abandoned her! You would have stood up for her and fought with her and defended her rather than just walk away and pretend you're not seeing anything!" Simon said viciously.

Luke knew Simon was right. As black and white as his outlook on the situation was, as wrong as he probably was about his mother not loving him, Luke could easily see Simon's logic. People who love each other spend time on and with each other. They stand up for each other and support each other. If they don't, it must mean they don't love each other. It was simplistic logic, but sound on its face.

It was too late for Luke to ever make up for what he had done. But he could be a better friend going forward. He put a hand on Simon's shoulder.

"Listen, buddy… I'm not a member of Saoirse's circle of friends, so I can't tell you what she has planned. It might be nothing. But you should call the police and have them look for her. If nothing's wrong and Sam is just late, no harm done. If not, it's best to get them on it as soon as possible."

"Alright… And Luke… I expect you to do the right thing now."

"I-I will…" Luke muttered, shocked that he had just been so effectively shamed by an eight year old.

"Hello… District 38 Police Department, Detective Alex Mackelroy speaking. How may I help you?" A woman asked. Simon gasped, tears in his eyes.

"H-have you… Have you found Sammy yet?" He asked. He had called less than ten minutes ago. He initially called on his cell phone immediately after his talk with Luke. And he kept calling every half hour or so.

Now, he was calling every ten minutes or so. He was scared. How could Sam not come home? Sometimes she was a little bit late. But Sam never failed to come home. Sam never didn't pick him up at school. Sam had always been so reliable. What kind of horrible thing could have happened to her that she wasn't there now?

"Simon Sharp, right? Younger brother of Samantha Sharp. You live at 8439 Mason Avenue. Samantha goes to Public School 247 and hasn't been seen since you and she split up at 8:25 this morning?"

"Y-yes… H-have you found her?" Simon asked desperately. Alex shook her head.

"We haven't yet. But you only reported her missing six hours ago, and this is a very large city. We've got officers out searching for her, asking questions.

"Excuse me… Yes, Lawrence… Yes… Are you familiar with a place called Pollock's Café?" Alex asked Simon. Simon gasped.

"Yes! Is that where she is!" Simon asked. Alex sighed sadly.

"No… One of the waitresses there saw her with a girl…"

"It's a girl named Saoirse McCullen!" Simon said quickly. The officer nodded.

"Can you spell that for me?"

"I'm eight. If you can't spell it, how do you expect me to spell it?" Simon snapped. Alex nodded.

"Sorry… We'll look into the Saoirse angle."

As soon as the officer said that, the door crashed open and Sam collapsed on the floor, her eyes dull and lifeless, her hair messy and filthy, her body covered with cuts and bruises and her knee swollen to the size of a small cantaloupe. How she had managed to walk on that leg was a mystery to Simon.

"Sorry, Officer… My sister just came in. I have to go."

"Wait! Simon!" Alex said, louder than she meant to. Simon put the phone back up to his ear.

"What? I don't have time for this anymore!" He snapped. Alex nodded.

"Just please come down to the station in the morning to talk to someone about the incident… Whatever happened, we need to write up a report. You can relax for tonight, but we need to get an official report in the system." Alex said politely. Simon agreed quickly and hung up, hurrying out to Sam.

"Sammy! Y-you're alright!" He yelled, causing Sam to immediately retreat from him, putting her arms up in desperate defense.

"DON'T LOOK AT ME!" She screamed at him. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" She ordered, causing Simon to fall back, looking hurt and scared. She looked terrified and ashamed. He had never seen her looking this horrible.

No matter the bruises and cuts that she had on her, no matter how badly she may have been limping, she always kept a brave smile on her face, and she always hugged him and kissed him on the forehead when she got home. She was his angel… Did she not love him anymore? Had she finally realized that all of her problems right now were his fault? Had she finally realized that he didn't deserve her love or devotion? It was heartbreaking to think that. But he knew she had every right to despise him.

She struggled to stand up, but couldn't at first. Simon gasped and hurried out of the room, coming back with some crutches that they had both used at different points in their lives, having adjusted them to her height. Being an artist, he had pretty good spatial relations and was able to determine which notch to put the crutches on. She struggled, but eventually stood up, wobbling her way up the stairs to her room. Simon followed, wanting to talk to her. But she closed the door in his face, locking it.

He sighed and went back to his own room, leaving the door open in case she decided to come out. He could hear her crying in her room. He could hear loud, agonized, choked sobs coming for over an hour. He heard her screaming unintelligibly and realized that whether or not she wanted his help, she needed him. What could Saoirse possibly have done to Sam to break her like this? Simon knew he was only eight. What could he possibly understand about someone as impossibly evil as Saoirse?

But what he really didn't understand how anyone could break Sam. She was so strong. She had stood up and walked to school every day, despite the beatings, despite the harassment, despite the bullying and the destruction of her property, and the insults to her sexuality and her dignity. She never broke… Somehow tonight was different. What could they have done? He couldn't conceive of anything that horrible if everything that had already happened to her hadn't broken her.

"What have they done to you, Sammy?" He felt tears filling his eyes as he heard her loud, agonized, broken cries coming from her room. He should have gone to her school sooner. He should have gone to her school and walked her home… Whatever happened, it was his fault… No… How could he have known that Sam would approach Saoirse? How could he possibly know that? Sam was a saint… But he never realized just how deep her forgiveness went.

She had been willing to talk to a girl who had made her life miserable for almost six months, who had orchestrated beatings, destroyed her property, had her brother beaten, had everyone who used to be her friend turn against her and humiliated her repeatedly… Sammy had been willing to forgive a monster. Simon could never have done something like that… He respected Sam for being so generous… But he wished that she would have been more careful.

After what seemed like hours, Sam limped out of her room, and Simon noticed droplets of blood forming a trail. Her arm was scarlet and blood was dripping from her fingertips of both arms. As he went out, he gasped. Her face was pale and she was panting for breath, though whether from exertion or blood loss, he couldn't tell. She looked sick and her eyes were swollen from crying. As he tried to approach her, she swatted at him angrily, screaming in an almost inhuman voice, causing him to fall over.

"S-S-Sammy…" He whispered.  
"Get away from me! _Don't touch me!"_ She hissed, a look of such rage and fear and pain crossing her face that Simon felt his heart skip for a moment. He almost felt sick to his stomach, seeing his beloved sister so upset. She limped into the bathroom and Simon heard the lock latch. She never locked the door. She trusted everyone in the house not to invade her privacy.

He heard the bath start running… She never took a bath, either unless she was really upset. It had only happened three times since she was seven. Once when a bully ripped her favorite shirt… Once when a boy dumped glue in her hair and she had to get her head shaved and now. Simon heard her turning on music, then the music disappeared. But it was opera. She only listened to it when she needed to calm down.

Usually, she preferred Classic Rock. She especially liked music from the 70s and 80s. But she also liked 60s music. For her to listen to opera. It was almost unheard of. True, opera was beautiful. Even Simon had been enthralled when their mother took them to see Carmen that one time. But Sam rarely listened to opera on her own. He heard the tap turn off. Sam sighed as she slid into the tub. She was still crying, but her cries were softer, more subdued.

Simon didn't know what was going on, but he knew that if she hated him for violating her privacy, at least she would still be okay… He tried to open the door, but found it locked… That's right. She did lock it. He ran at the door, slamming into it, only managing to hurt his shoulder.

"Sammy!" He shouted, pounding on the door. Unfortunately, the hinges to the door were on the inside, so he couldn't even break in.

He kept pounding on the door, screaming her name.

"Sammy! Sammy! Please! Answer me!" Simon pleaded. He pounded on the door, crying her name, tears flooding his eyes as he became more and more desperate, ramming the door. He wasn't heavy enough or strong enough to break the door. He needed to be at least as big as his father to break a door like this.

After what felt like hours, but was probably only five or so minutes, Erik limped up the steps, groaning in pain.

"Hey, Son… What's wrong?" He asked, looking at the bathroom door. "Gotta use the toilet? There's another one you know, downstairs." Erik said. He was still good-natured, even when he was drunk.

"No! S-S-Sammy… Sh-she locked herself in the bathroom! Taking a bath! Listening t-to opera! D-drops of b-blood! Crying! Screaming! S-scared…" Simon gasped.

"Alright, slow down. It seems like Sammy really needs our help." Erik said, going to the bathroom door, knocking loudly, calling as loud as he dared.

"Sammy! Are you decent in there? Can you come out! I need to talk with you!" He yelled. No answer… There weren't even any sobs anymore. The bathroom was silent as the grave.

"Stand back, Simon…" Erik said. Simon got up and moved aside. Erik grimaced as he bent his knee and slammed himself into the door. Simon gasped as the door gave a resounding crack, the wood, solid as it was literally cracking and shooting a few splinters out as a small ray of light came out of the bathroom.

Erik slammed the door one more time and it gave way, coming off the hinges and falling on the floor. What they saw before them was the very picture of horror. Sam was lying in a crimson red bath, her skin chalk white, her hair stained with blood and presumably unconscious. When Simon saw this, he was struck dumb for a moment before a scream of unparalleled terror and pain came out of his mouth. He started to run forward, but Erik stopped him.

"Simon! Stay there! Go to your room! Now!" Erik ordered. Simon was in no mood to listen.

"NO! No! S-S-Sammy! Let me go! Let me go!" He screamed. Erik shoved him back, running into the bathroom and lifting Sam out of the bath, ignoring the blood now on his clothes. He looked at the wounds for a second. She had been serious about killing herself. She had slit upwards rather than across.

He didn't think long on this, taking some towels and tearing them into strips and wrapping her wrists, putting the second towel around his daughter, protecting her modesty as he ran out the door, ignoring the searing pain in his knee as he ran through the rain and the cold to the hospital. It was agony to run. But Sam was far more important. If he never walked again after this, he was going to save his daughter's life. Nothing could stop him. He stumbled a few times, but finally came across a taxi, banging on the door.

"Excuse me! Can you…"  
"I'm off duty, pal." The driver said. Erik growled angrily.

"I'll give you 200 dollars to take me to the emergency room!" Erik snapped, taking out a rubber banded pack of 20s that he had been saving for a while. This was more important than anything he could need that money for.

"Why didn't you say so? Get in." The driver said, driving as fast as he dared towards the ER, where he stopped on a dime and Erik leapt out, running in, crying out in pain as he stood in front of the desk, panting with anxiety and fear.

"M-my… My daughter! Sh-she's… Dying!" Erik yelled. The nurse gasped, seeing the girl in Erik's arms and called the doctors over.

Sam was immediately put on a stretcher and taken into the ER, and Erik sighed and sat down, his knee still searing with pain. He moaned with a mixture of physical pain and fear.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Excuse me… Mrs. Sharp?" Came a soft but firm voice from behind Amanda. Amanda jumped.

"Oh! Doctor Parish… W-what can I do for you?"

"Mm… May I speak with you in private?" He asked. Amanda looked around nervously.

"Have I done something, sir?" She asked. He shook his head.

"Of course not. It's just a personal thing, and I'd sooner not speak about it in public." He said.

He took her to his office and shut the door, taking out a packet of papers, reading from it.

"A young female of fifteen years named Samantha Sharp was just admitted to the ER with approximately 18 horizontal lacerations along either arm and a single vertical laceration on either wrist, bisecting her ulnar arteries. The diagnosis is that she made a suicide attempt. She was admitted by Erik Sharp.

"She's currently receiving blood transfusions to address the blood loss and is still unconscious… She…" Amanda put her hand up, seeming like she was in shock.

"My apologies, Mrs. Sharp." Doctor Parish said.

"Please… Call me Amanda." She said numbly. He nodded.  
"Amanda. I've secured a shift replacement for you so you can go take care of your daughter."

"Thank you." She said, not even arguing, walking out and immediately calling Erik as she walked down.

"Hello, sweetie." Erik said quietly. Amanda wasted no time.

"What happened?" She demanded.

"S-Sammy… She… Attempted suicide… I found her in the bathtub… It was crimson red. It seems like she was really serious about it, too…" Erik said.

"Let me talk to Simon." She said. Erik gasped.

"I uhhh… I was in such a hurry to get Sammy out and to the hospital that I left Simon at home." He said. Amanda privately shook her head. But his heart was in the right place and now wasn't the time to chastise him. She nodded.

"I'll go home and pick him up and bring him to the hospital. Is your knee alright, sweetie?"

"No… But it will be. It's just still a little sore from running on it."

"I would imagine so. When was the last time you ran?"

"Shortly after Simon was born, before my accident."

"Be careful, sweetie." Amanda said. She hurried out to her car and drove back to their brownstone, parking and running in. She called for Simon and got no answer. This worried her, but he might just be asleep… No. That wouldn't happen. Not if he knew what happened to Sam.

She looks around the kitchen. Nobody. The television isn't on, so he's not in the TV room. The shower isn't on in either bathroom, though it would be pretty callous to take a shower in the bathtub that Sam had attempted suicide in, not to mention disgusting. But still, she looked around in Simon's room… But of course he wouldn't be there. She went to Sam's room and found Simon curled up on Sam's bed, hugging her favorite stuffed animal.

It was a stuffed animal of indeterminate species. Sam called it a Chimera… Simon didn't know what a Chimera was. But Sam loved it and it smelled like her. She never wore makeup or lipstick. She wore pale blue nail polish. Simon loved her nail polish. He asked her to paint his nails with it once. Sam asked him if he was sure, that boys didn't generally paint their nails, and definitely not pale blue. But he wanted to look just like Sammy… So she painted his nails.

Sure enough, he got teased at school. But he held his head high and told them that he loved his nails because he looked like his big sister, who was perfect… He asked her to take the nail polish off that night. And he used that horrible smelling liquid that he smelled in her locker. She called it ass-tone… He didn't know what that meant, so she told him it removed nail polish. He didn't quite understand and she couldn't explain how it worked to him. Only that if he got it on his skin, he should wash it off or it could burn.

It felt so cold going on that he didn't see how it could burn. But then he rubbed his eye and started screaming. Sam ended up washing his eyes with the shower head for fifteen minutes, and Simon needed to wear an eye patch for a week after that. Simon would normally laugh about that memory… But it only further reminded him of how amazing Sammy was, and how unforgiveable it was that he let her die… Renewed sobs racked his body as he curled up tighter, hugging the Chimera closer to him, smelling it.

"M-my fault… Sh-she's dead… It's all my fault…" He whispered, his voice shaking as he spoke.

"It's my fault… My fault she's dead…" He kept whispering until Amanda put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Simon?" Amanda asked softly. Simon started violently, looking at Amanda as if he was terrified of her.

"A-am I… Going to prison now?" Simon asked, tears still running down his cheeks.

"Why would you go to prison?" Amanda asked gently, sitting down next to him and hugging him tightly. She wanted to get back and see Sam, but she needed to take care of Simon right now.

"I-I murdered Sammy… I-it's my fault she's dead! I knew what she was going through and I didn't t-t-tell anyone! I didn't tell her teachers or her principal… I didn't tell you or Dad… It's my fault it came to this! I-I deserve to go to prison and be executed… Or whatever they do with murderers like me!" Simon yelled.

"Alright… First of all, they don't send little boys to prison… Or execute them because they didn't tell anyone what their sister was going through… Second of all… Sammy is alive… And third… It's not your fault this happened. I'm sure you've done everything in your power to help Sammy through whatever hardships she's been facing… And you're a wonderful little brother to care so much about her. Now, Sammy is in the ER right now, getting blood transfusions…"

"Gross…" Simon said, wrinkling his nose at the thought of someone else's blood going into Sam's body.

"Yes, it's a little bit gross… But it's saved countless lives. Did you know that you and Sam don't share a Blood Type?" Amanda asked. Simon raised an eyebrow.

"What's a Blood Type?" He asked.

"Well, get your shoes on and I'll explain on the car trip over." She said. She wanted to distract him from the tragedy of his sister's attempted suicide for as long as possible. Simon ran downstairs and got his shoes on, getting in the car without even putting on a coat.

"Alright… Well… Different people have different types of blood. Basically they have certain genetic traits in their blood that makes it incompatible…

"Well, react badly with blood of a different type. So you're B positive… Sammy is AB positive. You see, I have A positive and your father has B positive. So you're B positive like your father and Sammy is a combination of both our blood types. Blood typing is a little bit more complex than that for the sake of transfusions, but I think that's enough for you to go on for now.

"Alright… Now, we're going in to see Sammy… She's probably not awake yet, so I'm not sure when exactly we'll get in… Why did you bring Sammy's stuffed toy?"  
"I thought she'd want it when she woke up." Simon said. It always made her feel safe. She said when she was younger that it would protect her from mean monsters

"Too bad she didn't have it today…" Simon said out loud.

"Too bad she didn't have what today?"  
"Charlie… That's what she calls her Chimera… She used to say that it would protect her from mean monsters… I wish I had insisted that she take it with her… Maybe then she wouldn't be in the hospital… Maybe then she wouldn't hate me…"

"What do you mean, hate you? You're one of Sammy's best friends… She's closer to you even than she is to us." Amanda said.

"No… When she came home tonight, her knee was swollen up like crazy and she had filthy gunk in her hair and her clothes were soaking wet and smelly and had some weird smelly black stuff on them… And she yelled at me not t-to look at her… And not to touch her…

"I-I don't know exactly what I did to make her hate me… But I know she does hate me now…"

"Are you afraid to see her?" Amanda asked, sitting in the car still in the parking spot, looking at Simon sympathetically. He nodded, tearing up.

"Y-yes… I'm afraid she won't want to talk to me… I'm afraid that she'll be angry at me. What if she never forgives me… I-I betrayed her…

"I did exactly what she asked me to and I didn't even think about whether that was actually best for her… M-mom… If your sister had asked you not to tell anyone that people were bullying her, w-would you listen? Would you keep it a secret or would you tell someone anyway?" Simon asked. Amanda smiled gently, pulling Simon in for a hug.

"Listen, Simon… You did the best you could with what you knew. How could you have known that Sammy would try to kill herself? But… To answer your question, I'm not sure… If I were eight, and my older sister told me not to tell anyone she was being bullied… I… I might have obeyed her. I really admired my older sister… We weren't as close as you and Sammy are. But I admired her. I respected her and I wanted her to admire me…

"So I probably would have done what she told me… If I was a little bit older… Maybe I would have told someone… But you're only eight, Simon… You wanted to make Sammy happy. You wanted to do what she asked of you. That's something to be admired. Simon… You haven't done anything to make Sam angry at you. As far as I know, you've only been there to help… And given the bruises and injuries you took a few months ago… I suspect you took a bit of a beating for her… Am I right in thinking that?"

Simon nodded nervously.

"S-some bullies were trying to cut her hair off… They wanted to shave her head… She has such beautiful hair… I-I couldn't allow that." Simon said.

"I see… And why were they trying to shave her head?"

"I-I can't tell you…" Simon muttered, blushing, ashamed that he was breaking Sam's confidence like this.

"Why not?" Amanda asked. Simon felt tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

"Because I don't have the right to betray that secret of Sammy's. Telling you that she's being bullied is one thing. Telling you why… I-if she wants to tell you, she can… If not… I won't either." Simon said firmly. Amanda could tell that she wouldn't get anything else out of Simon on the matter. And she knew that if she pushed too hard, that he would completely shut down to protect Sam's secret.

"Alright… Well, let's get in there. Sammy probably is still unconscious… But when she wakes up, I'll let you be the first one to see her."

"I… O-okay…" Simon muttered, getting out and hurrying in, sitting down next to Erik and curling up against Amanda, who wrapped her arm around him protectively.

Amanda hadn't been the best mother. She had made her choices so that Sam and Simon would be comfortable… But what had those choices gotten her? A son that didn't trust her and a daughter that would attempt suicide before even trying to talk to her… No, Sam had tried to talk to her months ago. Amanda had told her that she was late for work. Again, work took precedence over her teenage daughter's life. Sam had something important to tell her and Amanda ignored her.

She remembered the day that she talked to Sam about taking more hours at work. She had tried to explain it so Sam could understand it. But she had only been 6 at the time.

" _Listen, Sammy… You know your father just hurt his knee, right?" Amanda asked. Sam nodded sadly.  
"Is that why Daddy is so sad and doesn't leave the couch?" Sam asked. Amanda nodded._

" _Yes… He can walk, but it hurts really bad for him to try. I'm trying to get him to go to rehab so he can walk normally again, but the doctors say that he may never be able to walk without some pain… And that means Daddy can't work anymore." Amanda said. Sam gasped._

 _She remembered being so proud telling her friends and classmates that her daddy made buildings. He was so big and strong, and her smile when she saw how impressed her friends were was breathtaking._

" _Well… Now with a second child, we can't really support the family on only one income… But… I need to start taking more hours… I've gotten a second job that will give me some extra money… But it will mean that I won't be home very much anymore._

" _Daddy will be looking after you. And he'll need you to be a big girl and look after your little brother." Amanda said quietly, her heart breaking at the look on Sam's face, the tears in her eyes._

" _D-d-do you not love us anymore, Mommy?" Sam sobbed. Amanda shook her head._

" _Of course I still love you… I just…"  
"But you don't want to be with us anymore!"_

" _Of course I do… That's what I want most in the whole world… But… I-I can't afford to keep our home if I don't make a bit more money… I'd love to be at home with you guys, but food, clothes, our home, electricity, cable, our phones… They all cost money… I hate being away from you… But… Sammy, please don't cry… I'll still see you… It's not like I'm just leaving you forever." Amanda said. Sam wiped her tears away, nodding._

" _O-okay, Mommy… I-I'll be the best big sister in the world… I'll take care of Simon while you're gone…" Sam said, wanting to make her mother proud of her. Maybe if she was proud of her, she would decide that she did love them enough to spend time with them. Amanda could tell what Sam was thinking and it broke her heart that Sam was so hurt by this.  
"I'm sure you'll do a great job. And if you need any help, Daddy can tell you what to do._

" _I'm so proud of you, Sammy… I know this is hard for you, but I'm proud of you that you're being so strong." Amanda said. Sam smiled brightly, tears still threatening to fall. Amanda hugged Sam tightly, kissing her on the cheek._

Erik was thinking of how different Sam's relationship with her brother was from his own family relationships. He was hardly estranged from his siblings. He had an older brother and a younger sister. But he and his brother always thought that their parents loved their sister more than them, that they favored her and that they didn't care about their sons.

That caused a lot of tension in the family. His older brother was Lars, who was two years older than him. Elisabeth, his younger sister was four years younger than him. And he remembered thinking that she acted like such a spoiled brat, such a princess. He resented her so much when her smallest achievement got her endless praise and he could get all A's and still not get a 'good job'.

It was hard to know now whether his perception had been accurate. It seemed so long ago, but he still remembered thinking he despised his sister. He and his brother and his sister had gotten closer as they grew up and realized that their parents' mistakes didn't have to ruin their relationship with each other. They were hardly close now. But they spoke at least. He remembered a particularly vicious fight he had with his sister.

The three of them all said pretty horrible things to each other. But the fight culminated with Erik and Lars agreeing that they hated Elisabeth. Lizzie, as she was called back then never expected them to feel like that about her, and she burst into tears and ran up to her room. Lars and him both got grounded, while Lizzie never got punished for calling them losers and telling them that their parents loved her best. At the time, it only confirmed to them that their parents didn't love them as much as they loved Lizzie.

Now… Well, it probably did mean that… But Erik was less liable to blame Elisabeth for their parents' decisions. Lars had agreed that they shouldn't hold those mistakes against Elisabeth and they all called each other and made up, and again, they were hardly best friends now, but they sent Christmas gifts to Sam and Simon and they corresponded occasionally. They all had their own lives. Lizzie and Lars were both married and had their own children.

Elisabeth was pretty rich. She worked in a law firm as a partner. Lars was a successful real estate agent and had sold houses all over the country thanks to the advent of the internet, since he could research real estate prices all over the country and even the world if he wanted. Lars had begun his own real estate agency and was doing extremely well. Erik felt pretty diminished next to them. He had a pretty well-paying job but lost it because of his injury.

Simon sighed, falling asleep and finding himself dreaming about Sam… What if she died? What if it was his fault? What if Sam hated him? What if when he died, Sam was there and condemned him to Hell because he was such a bad brother? He tossed and turned in his sleep, begging Sam to forgive him, tears falling freely until a doctor walked up to them.

"Excuse me… Mr. and Mrs. Sharp?" He asked. They jerked up, nodding.

"Samantha is awake."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Hey, Sammy…" Simon said, rubbing his arm uncomfortably. Looking at her, he remembered how she looked just three hours ago. Sam smiled weakly at him, her smile seeming forced, calling him over.

"Simon… Did you bring me here?" She asked. Simon shook his head. She looked so tired. It was heartbreaking for him to see his big sister like this.

"No, Dad did. He ran out of the apartment faster than I've ever seen him move." Simon said.

"Is Dad alright? His knee…"  
"He's worried about you… We all are… Why would you do something like that? Why would you leave me behind?" Simon asked. Sam scowled.

"You know, it's not always about you." Sam muttered. She didn't seem angry. Just resigned. It was almost sickening to see her look so beaten down.

"I-I know… I'm sorry, I was just so scared… What happened? The police said you were with Saoirse?" Sam gasped, memories of the alleyway flooding back into her mind.

" _You know, after I'm done with you, I'll go after that little creep of a brother of yours."_

"Get out." Sam said flatly. Simon gasped, his heart practically stopping.

"W-what?"

"Get out of my room. I don't ever want to talk to you again. Stay away from me." She said. She wasn't saying it angrily. Just factually, like it was about as important to her as the time, or giving an answer in class. She watched as tears filled her little brother's eyes and he tried to protest, but couldn't find the words.

"Please, Simon. Just leave." Sam insisted.

"Please, Sammy! Are you angry at me? Did I do something to you? I promise, whatever I did, I'll fix it!" He pleaded. Sam felt tears threatening to come to her eyes. She had to remain strong, though.

"No. Get out." She said more firmly, looking like that one moment took all her energy. Simon sighed, walking out of the room. He knew that eventually Sam, as smart as she was would realize that this was all his fault and dump his ass. He was just surprised she didn't figure it out sooner.

Finally, Amanda and Erik came in. Seeing Sam in the hospital bed like this was hard for him… He remembered when she was a cheerful, strong, happy little girl. He remembered before he hurt his knee… Amanda was still pregnant with Simon and he had a conversation with Sam about the responsibilities of being a big sister.

" _Listen, Sammy… You know your mommy's gonna have another kid, right?" Sam nodded._

" _Are you excited?" Erik asked. Sam looked conflicted._

" _A little bit. But… What if you love them more than me?" She asked. Erik pulled Sam up onto his lap and hugged her._

" _Listen, Sammy… That will never happen. We'll love your little brother more than life itself. But we love you just the same already. You know, I never had a great relationship with my parents or my brother and sister. Lars and Elisabeth and I were never that close. See? Our parents always preferred Elisabeth over the two of us… They loved her more." Erik said, seeing that Sam didn't understand at first. Sam nodded._

" _So… Lars and I didn't exactly like Elisabeth… The three of us have gotten closer as we got older and we realized that our parents' mistakes didn't have to be ours. But… As kids, I resented Elisabeth so much. To me, everything that was wrong with our family was her fault. And… I wish now that I could have seen that it wasn't. Still… I don't want you to make the same mistake. We will never love Simon more than you. We will always love both of you the same._

" _And things will be different when Simon is born. We won't be able to spend as much time with you because we'll need to pay attention to Simon too. But that doesn't mean we don't love you, sweetie. Okay?" Erik asked. Sam nodded._

" _Good. But we can't raise Simon alone. He needs you, too. He'll need a great big sister. And I know that you're more than up for the job." Erik said, pulling Sam closer._

" _Yes, Daddy… D-do you think Simon will like me?" Sam asked. Erik smiled. His Sammy was so sweet._

" _Of course he will. You're brother and sister, so you'll have fights just like any other siblings. But I'm sure that you and he will be friends when the time comes."_

" _Thanks, Daddy… I'm really excited about Simon…" Erik nodded._

" _Me too, sweetie."_

"What went wrong? Where did we mess up, honey?" Erik asked quietly.

"You know, I can hear you Dad. I'm surprised you're not passed out drunk by now. Isn't it like midnight already?" Sam asked. Her casual voice hurt more than anger ever could. Erik flinched at the sound of it.

"I know I haven't been the best father, Sammy… I'm gonna try to get better. I'm dumping all my alcohol and I'm gonna start going to AA meetings.

"I've missed out on most of your life, and you've turned into such a beautiful young woman." Erik said gently, sitting down next to her bed and looking her in the eye.

"Why did you try to kill yourself?" He asked. Sam looked at him. An ice cold, apathetic look.

"I don't wanna talk about it!" She whispered.

"But sweetie…" Amanda said.

"No. I told you months ago that I had something important I needed to talk to you about and the only thing you cared about was getting to work on time. You say you care about me and Simon, but you care more about making money to support our lifestyle. Simon was almost killed and you didn't even stop going to work. You left me to take care of him.

"And you, Dad" Sam sighed, looking at Erik. "You're a drunkard who can't even get off the damn couch. How did I even get here? Why didn't you just let me die like I wanted to? You never noticed me before, but now suddenly when I try to put myself out of my misery, suddenly _now_ you care." Sam muttered. It was chilling how calm she was in saying these horrible things to them. She was telling them she hated them, but she didn't look angry, just tired, exhausted.

She had always been so loving and sweet.

"Sammy… We're here now. If you have something you need to tell us, we're here to listen."

"Yeah. I have something to tell you. I hate you both." She whispered, her voice breaking as she said this. "I hate you. You're both terrible parents. The only one who even tried to help me was Simon, and he's eight." Sam said. It was chilling, her calm, collected voice as she said that.

"How did you get me here?" She asked. It didn't really matter. All that mattered was that she was still alive, and she wished she wasn't.

"I carried you here, Sammy…" Erik said sadly. Her words were so hateful, but her tone was so cold, so distant, like she was reading the words from a book, like she had no personal investment in any of it.

"Simon was really panicking when he saw you. He thought you were dead… I-I was afraid you were dead, too. I ran… I carried you to the hospital." Erik said. Sam looked at him, barely reacting.

"Your knee…" Sam muttered, barely a whisper.

"Is not as important as your life. Sammy… You mean everything to us. Even if you're mad at us, even if you hate us, even if you can't forgive us… We still love you."  
"We haven't really been good parents. We didn't pay attention to what was happening around us. We didn't realize you were being bullied. I saw the bruises, but I didn't pay attention. I'm sorry… I know I don't deserve it. But maybe you could give me a chance to succeed where I failed before?" Amanda asked.

"I'm not mad at you. Hating you isn't the same thing as being mad. I don't care enough to be angry. I don't hate you for being bad parents. I hate you for saving my life when I didn't want you to. I… I was being bullied… For almost six months now… And… How long have I been out?"

"Not as long as the doctors thought you'd be. It's only been about ten hours."  
"So what time is it?"

"About eight in the morning." Erik said, grimacing in pain. His knee was still killing him.

"Listen, Sammy… Your mom and I have been talking… You've been being bullied for around six months now, right? It seems like it's not going to stop, and if you really felt like there was no other way out but to kill yourself, then clearly we need to take some action. We've called your school. You're not going back there." Erik said. Sam nodded numbly.

"Will I be going to a different school?" Sam asked, only mildly interested.

"Yes." Erik said, being a big evasive in giving information.

"Listen… If it will help, I forgive you." Sam muttered. Again though, she didn't seem invested. They looked at each other, going over to her bed and kissing her gently before heading out of the room. They went to Sam's doctor.

"E-excuse me, Doctor Small?" Amanda asked. A tall, slender woman with glasses turned around, looking at the two of them.

"Samantha Sharp's parents?"  
"Yes… Sam… I-it's almost like she doesn't have any emotions… Is she going to be alright?" Amanda asked.

"Physically, yes. Emotionally, after a suicide attempt, and whatever led up to it, she'll need extensive counseling before she's 'alright' as you say. It may help to determine what it was that caused her to make an attempt on her own life." Doctor Small said.

"She was being bullied at school… I don't know the extent of it, but she often came home with bruises and cuts on her… She won't talk to us, though.

"She's shut herself off… Even when she was telling us that she hated us, it seemed like she didn't have any emotional connection anymore."

"She's probably still in shock. It should wear off and maybe you can begin to connect with her again." Doctor Small said. I'll give you a list of social workers that she can visit while you sort everything out. She started writing down a list of names and numbers and then handed it to Sam's parents.

The two looked down the list, crossing off the names of male therapists. They were sure that Sam would feel more comfortable with a woman. They called up the first name on the list and she was booked solid for two months. They called the next person, but she was young and not terribly experienced. The third one was good, though and they scheduled her to come by Sam's hospital room the next day.

A knock came at the door, causing Erik to start slightly. He wasn't really in the mood to entertain company. But he figured it would be rude to turn them away. He grabbed his cane and limped over to the door, opening it and seeing Luke, Bridget and Estelle standing outside. He looked at them for a moment. They stared at him, looking over at his cane.

"H-hi, Mr. Sharp… Did something happen to your knee? I-I mean, I know you hurt it a long time ago, but…" Luke began nervously.

"Yeah… Something happened, listen, Sammy isn't here right now." Erik said.

"A-actually, we came to talk to you and Mrs. Sharp."

"Oh, well, Amanda's not home right now, but please come in. There's not a lot to eat, but I'll figure something out if you like." Erik said, standing back and letting Sam's friends come in. They sat on the couch at his invitation and looked uncomfortably at each other. For a long moment, it seemed like nobody was going to talk. Finally, Estelle spoke first.

"Mr. Sharp… We need to apologize…" She said. Erik looked between the three.

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Well… A lot of things happened. Sam has been being bullied for months now at school. It's all been led by this girl who has a huge grudge against her…"

"Why? Why does this girl hate Sammy so much?"

"She… Sammy hasn't talked to you or Mrs. Sharp about it?" Luke asked. Erik shook his head.

"She hasn't really talked much about anything to us. We're not sure what's going on. She used to be so open." Erik said. Luke grimaced.

"Well… If Sam hasn't told you yet, it's not our place to tell you. But this girl kind of turned the entire school against Sam. Everyone's either been ignoring her or beating her up for months…"

"W-what? H-how does one girl have that much power! How is that possible?"

"Trust us… We've been wondering the same thing… But if you saw what she was capable of doing, you'd know why nobody wants to cross her." Estelle said.

"It seems like some weird shit out of a superhero comic, where the villain is somehow able to do anything they want without penalty… But this girl is nuts… Complete psycho. And… W-we… We think she did something really bad to Sam the other night…" Luke said, shivering. Erik gasped. The other night… The night Sam attempted suicide.

"Do you know what happened?"

"Not exactly… She never said exactly what she did. But she talked about an alleyway and finally breaking her." Luke muttered, looking extremely upset.

"She didn't say exactly what she did or had done, but… Sammy hasn't been in school since… So we're figuring that it was pretty bad. We didn't want to assume anything, since this girl is kind of unpredictable at the best of times, but…" Luke said.

"We just need to know that Sammy is alright. I-is she alright?" Bridget asked. Erik sighed.

"We know she's not in school. We know she's been being bullied, but thank you for coming to tell me. I'm glad that Sammy has such good friends who look out for her. She's alive. That's about all I can say for her condition." Erik said, looking like he was on the verge of tears. The three look even more uncomfortable now. Erik couldn't understand why they looked so upset at being thanked.

"A-actually… We've been terrible friends. S-Sammy is the sweetest girl in the world. She's the nicest person any of us have ever met and she's always been there for us, no matter what happened." Estelle said.

"When I found out my girlfriend at the time was cheating on me, she stayed up all night talking to me on the phone. I-I fell in love with Sam… And… Even after she turned me down for a date, she stayed really good friends with me… She was always the most loyal friend any of us ever had… And we betrayed her."

"What are you talking about? You four are thick as thieves." Erik said.

"Well… W-when this girl turned the whole school against Sammy, we never bullied her, but we cut ties with her… We were afraid of being bullied too. I know there's no excuse for abandoning her when she needed us so badly, but… We… We were scared that the people who were bullying Sammy would turn on us too if we were associated with her." Luke muttered, blushing in shame.

"I didn't know her very well, the girl that is, but something was off about her. I warned Sammy not to associate with her, but Sammy has always believed the best of everyone. It's one of the things I like most about her, but… I-I was afraid it got her killed this time. You're sure she's okay?" Estelle asked.

"I said she was alive. I didn't say she was alright." Erik said gravely, causing the three friends to shudder.

"S-so… What happened?" Bridget asked.

"She won't tell us. But she attempted suicide that night… Simon alerted me with his yelling in time and I managed to stem the bleeding and get her to a hospital. But… We're not staying in the city much longer. We're moving… The farther away the better. We won't let Sammy keep getting abused.

"I'm disappointed that you abandoned Sammy like that when she needed you." Erik said sternly, forcibly reminded of his own siblings. They were never very loyal to each other, always so competitive between themselves that helping each other never occurred to any of them. As they got older, their loyalty became more cemented. But as kids, they were all at each other's' throats. He looked at how ashamed the three looked.

"But… There's something to be said for coming clean like this. I'm disappointed in you all for what you did. But I'm glad you've told me the truth. Would you like to go see Sam?" Erik asked. He wasn't sure if Sam wanted visitors, but if they were moving, Sam's friends had the right to see her one last time. The three's faces lit up.

"Yes! D-do you think Sammy even wants to see us?" Luke asked.

"Well… I'm not sure. She certainly didn't want to see Amanda and I, and I understand from Simon that she kicked him out as well." This startled the three. Sam and Simon were more loyal to each other than any two people they'd ever met. They knew that Simon had really taken a beating for Sam at least once in the five months that she was being bullied.

It was quite a way to show gratitude to kick him out of her room, when most likely he was only there to console her and soothe his own fears about losing his sister.

"We'd love to see her." Bridget said. Erik nodded and stood, getting his shoes on and limping out of the house, taking the three to the hospital with him.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"Sammy? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Erik asked nervously, limping in with his cane. Sam looked at him impassively, the glazed, dead look in her eyes more haunting than any amount of screaming or crying. She nodded once.

"Your friends are here to see you." Sam raised an eyebrow.

"I have friends?" She asked. He couldn't tell whether she was being sarcastic or not.

"Yes… Would you like to see them?"  
"They came all the way here. They might as well get what they want out of the deal." Sam sighed. Erik nodded and called the three in. Luke, Estelle and Bridget sat down next to Sam's bed.

"Hey, Sammy… Are ya doin'… Nah, scratch that. Dumb question." Luke said, looking sadly at the girl that he still loved. His heart broke seeing her like this.

"You all abandoned me." Sam said. Her voice wasn't angry. Just factual, like she was discussing a history paper or something. Luke shivered.

"I know… We don't deserve your forgiveness… But…"

"Yes?" Sam asked. Estelle sighed.  
"We were scared. Saoirse scares us. I told you she was bad news, girl." Estelle said.

Sam looked at her, nodding.

"You did, didn't you? I wish I had listened."

"So… I-if it's not too hard, what happened to you? I saw you going out the door with Saoirse. Simon came to our school and asked me about you. I heard Saoirse laughing about doing something to you the next day. But other than that it must have been horrible, even by her standards, she didn't let much slip."

Luke grimaced at the look Sam gave him.

"I invited Saoirse out for tea and snacks at Pollock's. I figured there wasn't much she could do to me in a public place like a restaurant. I wanted to talk to her, maybe see if I could figure out how to settle things with her, whatever that meant. I was… Overly optimistic.

"You know, I've always tried to see the good in everyone. Logically, I know that not everybody is a good person. If they were, there wouldn't be evil in the world. But I thought that most people at least have the potential for good." Sam said, her voice breaking slightly before going back to the same cold, emotionless tone. She sighed, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"But what if I was wrong? What if there's not good in everyone? What if there's evil in everyone and some people are just better at hiding it, conforming to what society expects of them. I tried to see the good in Saoirse. I tried to be diplomatic with her. I invited her out for tea and cookies and talked to her for over an hour. She asked if I would walk her home. Apparently, her driver was off duty and she didn't feel comfortable walking alone in the city.

"So why not? Right? I walked her home, but I was waylaid by some thugs… I don't know exactly how, but they knocked me out, and when I woke up, I was in an alleyway, surrounded by thugs and Saoirse was there. They stripped me naked, sexually assaulted me and then dunked my head underwater until I passed out. I don't know exactly how long passed, but when I woke up, my clothes were soaked in cold, oily water and it was raining."

"They… They raped you?" Luke gasped, horrified at what he was hearing.

"No. They touched me everywhere. They were disgusting. They nearly drowned me and they beat me. I thought my knee was broken. I figured I was gonna end up like my father, unable to walk and in pain all the time. It was hurt, but it wasn't broken." Sam said with an overtone of bitterness.

"So… You… You cut yourself…" Bridget said, seeing the bandages still on her arms and wrists. Sam nodded.

"Yes. I was studying methods of suicide for over a month. I didn't know when or if I'd ever need it. But they said that cutting your wrists, if done right could end your life very quickly."

"D-done… Right?" Luke asked.

"Cutting vertically, Luke." Estelle said. "If you cut vertically along the vein, it causes more blood loss and avoids the stemming of blood flow that results when you cut horizontally. You see, even with a very sharp tool, if you cut horizontally, it causes skin to depress into the vein and stem blood flow. It could still potentially result in death, but the chances are much lower than if you just cut vertically."

Luke and Bridget looked at Estelle like she had a second head.

"I study weird things. Gimme a break. I've seen your internet server Luke. Your hobbies aren't any less weird." Luke smiled in agreement, nodding.

"Why are you telling us this, Sammy? I thought you would hate us for what we did to you." Luke said, taking Sam's hand in his.

"I did hate you for a while… But I understand why you were scared. I assume you told my dad what's been going on? The bullying and whatnot?" Sam asked.

"Yes. We didn't tell him why it happened, though. That's your story to tell, Sammy." Bridget said.

"Thank you… I'm not sure I'm ever going to tell him, though. I'll probably just get a boyfriend or something and try to move on with my life.

"Maybe I won't be happy, but at least I'll be safe. If trying to be happy is only going to make people hate me, maybe I should just be miserable like everyone else." Sam muttered. The three friends gasped.  
"No! Sammy… You can't give up like that. There's nothing wrong with you." Luke said urgently, leaning in to talk to her.

"Listen, Sammy… Not everyone is like that. Not everyone will hate you for who you love. You haven't done anything wrong and whether you like men, or women, you're still the same incredible, beautiful woman I fell in love with." Luke said. Sam actually smiled at him.

"Someday, you'll find a woman who deserves you. Someday, you'll find someone who treats you the way you deserve to be treated and loves you unconditionally. Until you do, please don't give up." Luke said gently, putting a hand gently on Sam's shoulder and pulling her in for a hug.

"Thank you, Luke… But I can't tell my parents. They'd never accept me. Simon was really great about it. I don't know if he fully understands what it means… But he never made fun of me for it.

"But I'm afraid that he's in the minority. So maybe I should just keep my abnormalities to myself." Sam said. "I love you guys… Even if you made a mistake, I know you still care about me."

"Sammy… Listen to me." Luke said, making her look him in the eye.

"This is coming from someone who's in love with you, so I may be a little biased, but you're perfect, just the way you are.

"You don't need to change anything about yourself and you don't need to hide who you are. I don't know if I'll ever see you again… I hope I will, but if not, I just want you to be happy. Wherever you go, whoever you fall in love with, they need to be right for you, and they need to love you for who you are." Sam nodded, her heart aching slightly. She was so tired, exhausted… But Luke really cared about her. He really wanted what was best for her… Even if that was never him.

"Thank you… I-I… I'm not ready to come out to my parents… And… I don't know what I'm going to do. Man or woman, I'm not sure I can ever love again… I don't think I'll ever be happy again. My life is ruined." Sam said, her dull, lifeless expression returning.

"Sammy… You've just gone through a really bad experience." Estelle said.

"My older brother attempted suicide, and he was pretty much the same as you afterwards… But our parents put him in therapy and… Well, he's hardly the life of the party anymore, but he's happy. He can smile and he can get through the day. He takes antidepressants and goes to therapy once a week still, but he's doing well." The dark skinned girl said. Sam sighed. It didn't seem like there was any end in sight to her pain, but her friends believed in her. That meant something at least.

"Listen, Sammy… You've just been through one of the worst experiences anyone can possibly face, girl." Bridget said. "It can only get better from here." Sam sighed. She wished she could believe that.

"I know you're trying to help me… But I'm just being crushed right now… Maybe it will get better. But I'm not really counting on it. Why do you think we won't be able to see each other again?" Sam asked.

"Well… You're moving… Didn't your parents tell you that?" Luke asked.

Sam shook her head.

"Oh… Sorry." Luke muttered, feeling bad that he had sprung that on her like that.

"No need to be sorry. It's not like I have anything left here. I've got three of the best friends in the world… Parents who hate me… A brother who probably hates me too… A former love interest who wants me dead… A school full of people who either ignore me completely or bully me mercilessly.

"Other than you three, what reason do I have to stay here? Wherever I'm going, it can't be worse than here." Sam shrugged.

"Won't you miss us, though?" Luke asked. Sam nodded.

"Of course I will. But how far away could I possibly be moving? I'm sure we'll see each other again someday… Hopefully when I'm in a little bit better condition than right now." Sam said, blushing slightly.

"We'll look forward to seeing you then." Luke said, taking a chance and kissing Sam on the cheek. She scowled slightly, but didn't say anything, just hugged her friends and said good bye as they got up to leave. As they walked out the door, a young woman with brown hair and brown eyes walked in and sat down next to Sam's bed, shutting the door behind her and setting up a noisemaker outside.

"Hello, Miss Sharp. My name is Doctor Smolak… But please, call me Olivia if you like."

"Why are you here?"

"I'm a social worker. Your parents asked me to meet with you."

"I don't really want to talk." Sam said softly. Olivia nodded.

"I understand. Maybe we could just get to know each other a bit? Do you prefer Sam, or Samantha? Or Sammy?" She asked.

"My friends and family call me Sammy. My teachers call me Samantha or Sharp. Sometimes my friends call me Sam. Honestly, I don't care what you call me."

"Alright, Sam then. I hear you play the violin?"  
"Yes. I'm not really that good at it… I thought I was pretty good… But now… What does it even matter?" Sam asked. Olivia nodded.  
"It matters to your family. They're worried about you."

"You're kidding, right? Dad's too busy being drunk and mom can't take the time to even notice me, much less spend time with us. I tried to talk to her months ago about something. I told her it was really important! You know what she said to me?"

"What?" Olivia asked.

"She told me she was already late for her evening job. She doesn't care about me." Sam growled.

"What were you going to tell her?"

"I can't tell you. My parents are the ones paying you. You have to tell them everything."

"Actually, legally I'm not allowed to tell them anything. I'm required to keep your confidence."

"So… You can't tell my parents _anything_ about our meetings?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"Nope. Not a word. Everything we say here is between us." Olivia said.

"I-I'm a lesbian."

"Okay… Is that why you attempted suicide?" Olivia asked. Sam's eyes widened. Olivia didn't seem to react at all. She was sure that Olivia would be disgusted, that she would recommend that she go to one of those gay rehab camps.

"You're… Not grossed out?" Sam asked.

"Of course not. You're not the first gay or lesbian client I've had. Many of them feel the same feelings of conflict about their identities. There's nothing wrong with how you feel though. You're attracted to who you're attracted to. Nobody can change that, and nobody has the right to tell you it's not okay." Olivia said.

"So tell me… I understand you've been being bullied a lot. How long has this been going on?"

"About six months now." Sam said.

"Was there a reason the bullying started?" Olivia asked.

"I-I fell in love with a classmate of mine… She was so beautiful and smart and funny and charming… But… I confessed to her, and suddenly, the whole school had turned against me.

Most of the school just ignored me, but the girl I confessed to was a total monster. She had a bunch of people destroy my stuff and beat me up and… Just the other night… I-I tried to talk to her. I tried to make peace with her, and she seemed to respond well to it, but she asked me if I could walk her home since she wasn't comfortable walking alone in the city. I-I got knocked out and when I woke up, she and a bunch of guys all…"

"They raped you." Olivia said, feeling immense sympathy for Sam.

"No… I thought they were going to. They stripped me completely naked, th-they… They touched me everywhere… Then they drowned me in a filthy puddle. They left after I passed out. My knee was swollen like a melon, I think they broke a few ribs and my stomach has a really bad bruise on it from being stomped on. I can't go back. They'll kill me if I do."

"And you attempted suicide later that night." Olivia said.

"Yeah… I wish I had succeeded. I used to think that most people are good, that there were bad people in the world, but that they were the minority. But that's not true, is it? There are only a few people you can trust in the world. Most people will turn on you in a second if you do something they don't like. I did everything right. I took care of my little brother. I was loyal to my friends.

"But nobody cared about that. As soon as they found out I was gay, it was like I was a worthless piece of garbage. What point is there in living if everyone's out to get you anyway?"

"You don't have any friends?" Olivia asked.

"I have Luke, Estelle and Bridget… Simon used to be my friend… But I can't risk his life just because I need a friend. She threatened him. I can't take the risk that he'll get hurt because of me." Sam said.

"I see. How close are you with these friends?"

"Pretty close. I've been friends with most of them since elementary school." Sam said. "I never got to spend as much time with them as I wish I had. I often had to take care of Simon. My mom has a busy schedule with her jobs and Dad… Well, he can't really move very well since he hurt his knee shortly after Simon was born. He's in a lot of pain, so he's confined to the couch most of the time." Sam said.

"So you had to grow up very young. How do you think that affected you? Do you ever resent Simon? Do you ever feel like he took away your chance to be a child?"

"I… N-no…" Sam muttered, feeling tears stinging her eyes.

"You love Simon?"

"Of course! I've been more of a mother to him than our mother has!" Sam said angrily, her cold façade breaking.

"It's okay to be angry, Sam. It's not your fault this happened. It seems like you did the best you could with what you had… Your parents say that you and your little brother are exceptionally loyal to each other."

"All we have is each other! I… I can't be angry at him… I can't resent him… H-he's the only person in the world who would never betray me! He's th-the only person who truly loves me!" Sam sobbed, her anger dissolving in an ocean of despair and fear.

"You do resent him sometimes, don't you?" Olivia asked. Sam wailed at this.

"Yes! I-I hate myself so much for it every time! S-sometimes I just want to go out on the weekend and spend time with friends! I love Simon! H-he's the most important person in my life. But… I-I'm only thirteen! I'm not ready to be a mother! I'm not even ready to be a high schooler! I love Simon and I'm glad to babysit him sometimes, but I shouldn't have to be responsible for his whole life!" Sam exploded. Olivia nodded empathetically.

"That's a lot of pressure to put on someone so young. And you feel like you weren't ready for that kind of responsibility?"

"I-I want kids… Someday. Now of course, I'll never get to have them. I doubt anyone would let a sexual deviant be in charge of children." Sam laughed humorlessly.

"Sexual deviant? Who told you that?" Olivia asked.  
"S-some of my bullies… Th-the word was used pretty liberally." Sam muttered.

"Well, that's just not true. Gay and lesbian couples often adopt children, or do in vitro fertilization using a donor. I do adoption studies as a second job, and many of my clients are same-sex couples. The only questions I need to ask are about whether or not they can be good parents.

"It used to be that gay and lesbian couples couldn't adopt. But things are catching up with the times. When you're ready to have children, whoever you end up with, I'm sure you can find a way to have them." Olivia said. She sighed.

"Well, we've had an excellent first meeting. I think we've gotten pretty well acquainted. How about we meet again on Friday?" Olivia asked. Sam nodded.

"Great. I'll see you then." She said, gathering her stuff and walking out, greeting Sam's parents quickly as she passed them in the waiting room.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"Hey, Amanda… Is everything going alright?" Wendy asked. Wendy was Amanda's older sister, and of all the sisters, they had the closest relationship. Amanda sighed, leaning back in her chair, shaking her head.

"No. My daughter hates me, and the worst part is that I deserve it. I was so focused on making money to live comfortably that I completely ignored my daughter.

"She tried to reach out to me. She tried to talk to me months ago, and all I could think about was getting to work on time… Maybe if I had listened to her, this wouldn't have happened." Amanda moaned. Wendy nodded.

"You've done your best, Amanda. You did what you thought was right for your children. You worked really hard to keep them in the house they knew, food on the table.

"No doubt you haven't been perfect. But who is? She's alive. Sammy is alive. And things are bad now, but they'll get better. She'll recover and… I'm not sure if things will ever be normal again, but they'll settle down. I have some information about a town a bit north called Royal Woods. They have pretty good property prices and there are homes available there right now.

"I've sold houses there before, and the people there are pretty nice. You and your family would probably like it there." Wendy said. "There are plenty of young people there for your children to play with."

"Is it quiet?" Amanda asked. Wendy smiled.

"Pretty quiet. It's not exactly a town of ten people. But it's hardly as bustling as the city you currently live in. Sammy could recover there.

"Simon would be able to find children his own age that he could make friends with. Neither of them would have to worry about walking home alone. The town is very safe."

"What are we looking at in terms of prices?" Amanda asked.

"Well… I'm pretty sure that you could afford a house if you sold the brownstone. I assume you're not planning to go back to the city?"

"That's correct. So, are we talking 200,000?"

"For the kinds of houses you'd be looking at, that's around the prices that you would be looking at. If you own the brownstone and it's still in good condition, we could probably get a pretty good price for it. I'd like to come down and look at it so I can give you some estimates on what a fair asking price would be." Wendy said.

"Great. I'm sure Sammy would be happy to see you as well." Amanda said. Wendy nodded.

"Good. I should be there in six hours or so, if that's alright. I'm in Ohio anyway, showing some houses to people. My husband and I should be down there by 8 tonight… Is that alright?"

"Yes, of course. We'll have a guest room prepared for you." Amanda said, saying her goodbyes to Wendy and hanging up.

"E-excuse me… A-Amelia?" Simon asked nervously, his face already a faint pink color, lighting up his fair skin and causing him practically to glow.

"Simon… Hey… Are you alright?" The petite girl asked. She had beautiful hazel eyes and strawberry blonde hair. Her face was pocked with freckles. Simon thought she was the very picture of beauty.

"I-I'm… I'm fine… I-I need to tell you something…" Simon said. Amelia looked at her friends.

"Hey, Jazz, Claire, Lila… Can you go on ahead? I'll catch up with you, I promise." Amelia said sweetly. Her friends nodded and hurried off.

"What's up, Simon?" Amelia, seeming like she could already see into Simon's soul. Her light hazel eyes lit up in a way that made it seem like they glowed.

"I-I love you, Amelia." Simon muttered, not able to look her in the eye. Amelia smiled.

"Aw… I'm really flattered, Simon. I'm glad you told me." She said.

"Wait… D-did you know already?"

"It was kind of hard to miss. It's alright. I think it's sweet." She said. "You have a sister named Samantha, right?" Amelia asked.

"Um… Y-yeah… How… Did you know?"  
"People see her around the school when she comes to pick you up… Plus a number of students here have brothers and sisters in the high school and there've been rumors going around about her. I'm sorry to hear about all the trouble she's been having."

"W-w-what… Have you heard exactly?"

"That she confessed her love to a girl and has been made into an outcast since. I don't know how much of that is true. But I'm sorry she's been having such a rough time lately. Is she… Doing alright?"

"Um… She's actually in the hospital right now. She got beaten up pretty badly and then tried to commit suicide. Sh-she's lucky she survived." Simon said bitterly.

Amelia gasped, covering her mouth in horror.

"Oh no! Simon, I'm so sorry." Simon's young classmate said, hugging him tightly.

"I… My family is moving… I'm not sure exactly where yet. But wherever we move, Sammy can't stay here. She's not safe, from her classmates or from herself. I-I wish I had the courage to tell you how I felt sooner…

"But… Maybe this weekend you could hang out with me for a little while? I-it doesn't have to be a date, but… Just… N-no, forget it! I-I…"

"I'd love to. You know, you have a bit of a reputation around school." She said with a smile. Simon gulped.

"R-really? W-what do you…"

"Well, you're a bit mischievous… But everyone says that you're one of the nicest people they've ever known. You cause a bit of trouble in class, chalkboard eraser throwing, putting tacks on the teacher's chair, putting gum in people's hair… But you're always ready to stand up for people who can't stand up for themselves. And they say you and your sister are very close.

"Her bullying must have been really painful for you… I'd love to get to know you a little bit better… Even if I won't know you for much longer." Amelia said, taking Simon's hand, causing the young blond haired boy to turn a deeper shade of pink.

"I-I… H-here's… M-my… Maybe you'd like to meet at Stewball's? They make ice cream." Simon said. Amelia smiled.

"I'd love to." She said, kissing Simon on the cheek and heading to class. Simon stood there, completely breathless for a few minutes before a teacher walked over to him and hurried him along.

The rest of the day went agonizingly slow until finally he was able to leave and go see Sam. He ran out of school at a breakneck pace, running all the way to the hospital, gasping for breath as he walked into Sam's room. He smiled at her. He had been going back to see Sam every day. Every day he got the same treatment. He was told to leave, and every day he felt that same heartbreak when she rejected him again. But today was going to be different. Today, she was going to smile at him and tell him that she loved him.

Today, she was going to ask him to sit down so they could talk for a while. He knew it. Sammy was a saint. There was no way she could stay angry at him when she realized how bad he felt. When she realized how guilty he felt about how he betrayed her, she would call him over and hug him and tell him that she loved him again, that she wasn't angry anymore. He had been feeling cold and empty lately, like there was a pit in his stomach that he couldn't fill.

He walked into her room and Sam looked up.

"H-hey, S-S-Sammy…" Simon muttered, fighting back tears as he walked over to her, sitting down next to her bed. He hugged her tightly, kissing her on the cheek.

"I-I confessed to Amelia today. Sh-she agreed to go on a date with me this weekend. P-please, Sammy… Just look at me. Please stop ignoring me…" Simon pleaded.

Sam continued keeping her eyes averted from him.

"Please!" Simon gasped. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I failed you! I'm sorry I betrayed you! I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but… I need you… I-I love you."

"Get out." Sam said simply. The utter lack of emotion in her voice was more terrifying than any amount of anger could be. She really felt nothing for him.

"D-do you… Hate me?"

"No. Please leave." Sam said bluntly.

"Sammy! Please!" Simon sobbed, taking her hands in his, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Please! I'm falling apart! I need you! I was so scared when you tried to kill yourself and now… W-without you… I…"

Sam found tears filling her eyes as well. She hated treating Simon like this. She loved him so much. She just wanted to hold him and promise that she could never hate him. She felt her resolve breaking.  
"Simon…" She said, her eyes completely different from what they were like a few seconds ago.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I never meant to hurt you. I just didn't want you getting hurt." She said. "Saoirse threatened you when she was attacking me in that alley.

"I could never forgive myself if I let you get hurt. Of course I don't hate you. I could never hate you." Sam said, hugging Simon tightly.

"Why?" He asked. "Why don't you hate me? This is all my fault! ALL OF THIS IS MY FAULT! None of this would have happened to you if I hadn't gotten involved! If I hadn't convinced you to confess your feelings to Saoirse, you would never have gotten hurt like this!"

"Simon… It's not your fault." Sam said, pulling Simon up onto her lap, holding him close to her.  
"Listen, you can't control what other people do. You wanted to help me and I appreciate that. Saoirse wanted to hurt me, and you can't control that." Sam said.

"How's your artwork going?" She asked.

"I-I haven't done anything in a while. I just don't have any inspiration."

"Well… Tell me about this Amelia girl. What's she like?" Sam asked.

"She's beautiful. She has reddish blonde hair, she has incredible hazel eyes and she's the sweetest girl in the world… Well, other than you." Simon said. "I can't believe she agreed to a date with me."

"I can. You're a great guy, Simon. You're handsome, you're sweet, you're smart… Any girl would be lucky to have you."

"I'm not so great. I couldn't even protect you from getting hurt. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing Amelia on Saturday. We're going to Stewball's." Simon said.  
"Ooh, nice. Well, best of luck." Sam said, hugging Simon tightly.

"I brought your guitar with me, Sammy." Simon said. Sam smiled gently at him.

Taking the guitar out, she began playing Country Roads. Simon sang along with her until Olivia came in.

"Good afternoon, Sam. You must be Simon." She said politely.

"I have to meet with her. This is my therapist, Simon."

"Oh! Okay." Simon said, hurrying out of the room, wishing he could have stayed longer with his Sammy.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"Hey, Simon…" Amelia said, blushing slightly. She had never been on a date before, so she didn't know exactly what one was supposed to do on a date. She hoped that Simon would know. They were only eight, so what exactly two eight year olds did on a date was beyond her.  
"H-hey… A-Amelia…" Simon said nervously, waving at her. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. Sam had given him some advice.

She had been on dates before… Never anything serious. He had been sleeping in Sam's bed for the past few nights, ever since she had gone to the hospital. He knew that as soon as she came home, he would need to sleep in his own bed, but for now, he felt safe in her bed. He felt like maybe everything hadn't gone terribly, terribly wrong… The worst part was, he couldn't even figure out where everything got so royally screwed up, except to know that it was his fault.

He shivered slightly as Amelia sat down.

"Are you alright, Simon? You're looking a bit pale. You seem tired." She said, putting a hand on his forehead.

"I-I… Yes. I mean, no. I'm fine. I just… I didn't sleep very well…" He muttered stiffly.

"Aw, that's a shame. Racing thoughts?" She asked. Simon nodded.

"I-I'd rather not talk about it. You don't need me making a scene on our date." Simon said.

"Oh, um… Alright. Well, what would you like to talk about?"

"Well… I don't know much about you… What kinds of things are you interested in?" He asked.

"Oh, I love classic horror movies. The original 1978 Halloween, pretty much any Alfred Hitchcock movie, all the way back to Bela Lugosi in Dracula and then the 1922 Nosferatu.

"Those movies were real pieces of art. Modern horror movies just have no class. Jump scares, excessive gore and screams. They don't engage me. I also just like classic movies in general. Have you ever seen Paul Newman?"

"The salad dressing guy?" Simon asked. Amelia giggled at this.

"Yes… The salad dressing guy. But before he was the salad dressing guy, he was the movie actor. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke, Deliverance. Have you ever seen Breakfast at Tiffany's?"

"Another Paul Newman movie?"

"No. It had Mickey Rooney in it… Along with a few other pretty big actors and actresses. There were some accusations of racism… Let's just say it didn't age well."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Well… Mickey Rooney wore yellow face… Basically, he put on yellow makeup and pretended to be Japanese with the buck teeth and stereotypical accent and behaviors."

"Umm… Oh… Was it supposed to be like a parody or something?" Simon asked.

"Not really. It was mostly a romantic comedy."

"Then why such obvious racism?" Simon asked.

"Mmm… Probably because it was made in the '60s. Have you seen Aliens? You know, with Sigourney Weaver?"

"Duh! They mostly come at night. Mostly." Simon said in an imitation of Newt's accent.

"Right, you know the Latino Marine?"

"Sure. Vasquez." Simon said.

"Did you know the actress's name was Jenette Goldstein. She was a white, red haired woman who dyed her hair black and painted her body with brown face and put on a fake accent of indistinct Central or South American origin to become Vasquez."

"Interesting." Simon said. What would you say is your favorite horror movie?"

"Human Centipede." Amelia said. Simon gasped.

He had heard of the movie, but he had always heard that it was just straight torture porn.

"I'm joking! No, Human Centipede… I watched five minutes of it and I practically threw up." Amelia said. Simon laughed nervously.

"I've actually never seen any of those really old horror movies. The oldest movie I've seen are the Nightmare on Elm Street movies."

"I love those movies. Robert Englund made an amazing Freddy Kreuger. It was tragic how they turned the later movies into such travesties, especially the remakes of them and Freddy vs. Jason."

"You're really a sucker for the classics, aren't you?" Simon asked, smiling nervously.

"I guess I am. What kinds of things do you like, Simon?"

"I play a bit of guitar, some violin. Sammy taught me both of those. I like painting and drawing… I'm actually pretty good at art… I-I have a picture of you that I drew… I hope you don't think I'm weird." Simon said, blushing.  
"Not at all. I'd love to see the picture." She said. "Do you have it with you?"

"It's… It's not finished yet." He said, taking it out of a small backpack that had his skateboard on it. He showed it to her.  
"That's my favorite dress…" She said with an incredulous laugh. "Simon, this is really incredible." She said. Her strawberry blonde hair, her freckles, her slightly overlarge ears, he had caught everything about her.

"So… This may be a little off-topic… But, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?"  
"Cherry. But vanilla is a close second… I was actually hoping to get a root beer float today. Stewball's has amazing root beer floats. Have you ever had one?"

"Actually, no. I've never had a root beer float." Simon said. Amelia stared at him for a moment, giggling slightly.

"That's just… How is that possible?" She asked.

"Well… I'll try one today. I'll be right back." Simon said, smiling, walking up to the counter.

"Hey, Mr. Peyton…" Simon said cheerfully, sitting on one of the padded stools.

"Simon! You're getting so big! I barely recognize you. Is that your girl over there?" He asked. Simon blushed slightly.

"Yeah. That's Amelia."  
"Amelia. Wow, she's pretty. Is this your first date?" He asked. Simon always had the impression that Mr. Peyton could read his mind. He always seemed to know what was going on.

"So, what can I getcha?" He asked.

"Um… Two root beer floats, please."

"Absolutely. Go on and sit down and we'll bring them right out." Mr. Peyton said cheerfully. Simon hurried back to sit with Amelia.  
"So… W-w-what's y-your family like?" Simon asked.

"Well, my mother's a history professor. My father's an anthropology professor."

"A what?" Simon asked. Amelia laughed a little. That last one confused everyone.

"He studies people. But more than that, he studies human society, and early hom-uh-nid society."

"He studies early whats?" Simon asked, even more confused now.

"Before humans looked like how we look, they looked different. Humans evolved into their current form… Or that's what Daddy says. I don't completely get it.

"What did we evolve from, then?" Simon asked.

"Primates… Er, like monkeys, chimpanzees and other creatures like that." Amelia said, her eyes lighting up in interest. It was fun to talk to her about these things. He didn't completely understand. But she seemed to know about that kind of thing. He had no reason to disbelieve her.

"So, what's your family like?"

"My mom is never home, my dad is a drunk and my sister just tried to kill herself less than a week ago." Simon said flatly. Amelia gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, looking horrified.

"Oh, Simon! I'm so sorry… Were you and your sister very close?"

"Yes… She was more like my mom than my mother was.

"It was always Sammy who did things for and with me. She cooked dinner, she put me to bed, she helped me with my homework, she came to my sporting events, she sang and played guitar if I was having trouble sleeping or woke up with a nightmare… Sammy is everything to me."

"H-her death must have been a real shock for you." Amelia said compassionately, putting a hand on Simon's.

"No, she's not dead. She tried to kill herself. The doctor said that it was a miracle she survived. So maybe God still has plans for her on earth." Simon said. Amelia smiled. She had been raised in a fairly staunchly Atheist home. They taught her about religions from a historical and anthropological perspective. She learned about the movement of religion and its cultural and political impact on the parts of the world that they affected.

Well… She was only eight, and despite being very intelligent, they could only really go so far in teaching an eight year old about the anthropological and historical aspect of religion. So they taught her religion academically, not really stressing the spiritual aspect of the religions. They had taught her though that most people did believe in God and that she probably wouldn't be able to change their mind and that it would be rude to try.

So she never contradicted people who talked about God unless they asked her about her beliefs.

"Oh, Simon… Is that why you're moving?" She asked.

"Yes. The bullying got too bad for Sammy to handle. I don't know what happened to her that night that she cut her wrists, but it must have been something really bad, because when she came home, she screamed at me not to look at her.

"I didn't understand and she won't tell me what happened. But… I don't know if I would understand if I did. I was too stupid to even know that Saoirse was a girl's name." Simon said.

"Saoirse is a name?" Amelia asked. Simon nodded.

"It's Irish." He said.

"You seem pretty smart to me… So wait. Who is this Saoirse girl?"

"The girl that Sammy fell in love with. She's been torturing her for almost six months now."

"What? You mean him. Girls date boys, right?"

"Some girls like other girls. Like, 10% of the population is gay, meaning that the boys like boys and the girls like girls." Simon said.

That was what Sam had explained to him.  
"Oh. So, what's Sam like?" Amelia asked, seeming not to mind. She was definitely a keeper as Alric's father always said.

"She's beautiful. She has incredible long blonde hair… It goes down past her knees.

"She's not a girly girl, though. She's really tough. She's stood up for me so many times, even when I don't deserve it. Even though I've never done anything to earn her love. She loves me so much… She's done so much for me, and I couldn't even protect her when she needed it."

"How old is your sister?" Amelia asked.

"She's thirteen."

"You shouldn't need to protect her. She should be protecting you. That's how it is between me and my half-brother… He was born from my father's first marriage. He's much older than me and he's always protected me… Sam shouldn't be…"

"NO! She's _never_ asked anything of me! She was so upset when I tried to fight for her! Some bullies were beating her up and I tried to defend her. I ended up in the hospital, and she made me promise that I would never do anything like that again… I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you." Simon muttered, realizing that he had been yelling really loudly.

"It's alright… So, Sam plays guitar?" Amelia asked, seeing that this was a painful subject for him.

"Yeah… She also plays violin. She's really good at both. She has a beautiful voice. What I do best is painting, drawing, and a little bit of sculpting. I can make little figures of characters if I have the picture in front of me. They're not great… Ah! Our floats… No, please, Amelia. On me." Simon said, putting his hand on hers as she tried to reach for her wallet.

"Oh, I couldn't. That's your allowance money, isn't it?"

"Well…I had some Christmas money left over. My art kit was around 350 and I was still trying to build up the courage to ask you out, so I saved up the rest." Simon said earnestly.

"That's really sweet of you. Mm! These floats are so good. Try yours." She said.

Simon nodded, taking a sip from the straw. She was right. They were delicious.

"Do you play any instruments, Simon?"

"Sammy is teaching me a bit of guitar… But I'm not good like Sammy is. I enjoy spending time with her, though." Simon said, smiling wistfully.

"You really love your sister, don't you? That's sweet."

"Loving her didn't keep her safe. Sammy forgave me so easily… I'd do anything for her, but I couldn't keep her safe. I couldn't be the brother I knew she needed. I'm a terrible brother and…"

"Stop, Simon. You sound like a great brother. It sounds like you've been there for Sam whenever she needed someone to comfort her.

"You're a good brother… But you can't do everything. You did your best, and that's all any of us can ask for from anyone else. Listen, Simon… You're a great brother… I'm sure Sam feels lucky to have you. I don't know where you guys are gonna move to, but I want to be able to keep talking to you. So here's my number… Can I have yours?" She asked, writing her number down on a napkin. Simon did the same with his and handed it to her, taking hers and putting it in his pocket.

They finished the floats slowly, finally sighing in relief. Simon went up to the counter and got the bill. It was actually much cheaper than he expected it to be. He looked at Mr. Peyton, who winked at him.

"I gave ya a bit off the top. It looked like you enjoyed yer date." He said. Simon smiled and put some money down.  
"Please, keep the change, Mr. Peyton." He said.

"Will do. We'll miss you and your family after you move." Mr. Peyton said. Simon nodded.

"Yeah… I'm gonna miss living here. All my friends are here."

"I know that it seems like you'll never make friends again. But I moved to this city from Maine. It was a big adjustment, but I made new friends here, some of whom I'm still friends with to this day. You'll make it wherever you go, because you're a great kid. I promise." Mr. Peyton said encouragingly.

"Thanks. I gotta get going." Simon said. Mr. Peyton nodded and said good bye. The two went and walked around for a while, window shopping before Simon walked Amelia back to her apartment and headed back to his own home, where he went in to see Sam sitting on the couch. He cried happily, running over to her. She looked exhausted, but happy to see him.

"How'd your date go, Casanova?" She teased.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

"It went great!" Simon said excitedly, sitting down next to Sam.

"So, the hospital let you go?" He asked. Sam nodded, hugging Simon tightly.

"Yeah… It feels good to be eating non-slop." Sam said with a laugh. "So tell me… What's she really like? You've been talking about her for a long time. How was your date?"

"She's so smart and sweet." Sam smiled. Simon seemed to really like Amelia.

"Her parents seem pretty cool, from what she's told me. Her mother teaches history and her father teaches Anthology." Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, something about studying people and monkeys."

"Okay…" Sam said, taking out her phone and typing in what Simon had said.

"You mean An… thro… Pology…?" Sam asked. She had never heard the word either.

"She's so cool… And smart… And pretty."

"Yes, I've seen the pictures you draw of her. Do you have any photographs?" Sam asked. Simon nodded, fishing in his pocket. A man on the street had taken a Polaroid of them for five dollars or two for eight.

Simon handed Sam the picture.

"That's Amelia? She's really pretty." Sam said, smiling at how happy the two of them looked. Sam didn't feel terribly happy, but seeing Simon so happy was nice.

"Yeah… I'm only sad that I'll never get to see her again. We're moving, and that means I'll be a million miles away from her."

"We're only gonna be one state away from her. And it's a small world. Odds are good you'll see her again someday. I just hope I never have to see Saoirse again." Sam said, shivering slightly. "But never mind that for now. Tell me how you and Amelia met."

"Oh, well… That's… See, do you remember when you painted my nails powder blue?"

"Sure I do. I had a great time doing that… That was, what? When you were seven?"

"Yeah… Well, I got bullied a bit that next day and Amelia stood up for me. She told me she thought my nails were pretty and that she didn't know any other boys brave enough to wear blue nail polish. She said her brother wore black nail polish, but that she'd never met any boy who was brave enough to wear blue. That made me feel really good…

She told them that just because they were too wimpy and scared to wear blue nail polish didn't mean they should make fun of me for doing it. But I asked you to remove it, since I may be brave enough to wear blue, but not enough to keep wearing it.

"Unfortunately, then I rubbed my eye before the Ass-tone was taken off."

"Ooh, yeah… I remember that."  
"A week later, I went back to school. No nail polish, but an eye patch, and I got made fun of for that."  
"Kids are jerks. I think that much has been established." Sam said.

"Right, well, a lot of kids were making pirate jokes about me, and Amelia stood up for me again. She asked what happened and I told her that you had removed my nail polish and that when I rubbed my eye, I got the remover in it. She hissed lightly and nodded.

"'Yeah. That happened to me the first time I put on nail polish.' She told me. I think I've been in love with her ever since."

"That's really sweet. It's called A-ce-tone, though. Just call it nail polish remover." Sam said. Simon nodded, hugging her tightly.

"I'm so glad you didn't go back to God. I'm not ready for him to have you yet." Simon said. Sam smiled sadly at her little brother. She didn't think she could ever be happy again. Suddenly, a loud crack resounded from one of the back rooms and Sam shrieked, hugging Simon even more tightly.

"Sammy! Are you alright?" Simon asked, worried about her. She was shaking now, but she nodded.

"Y-y-yeah… I-I was just startled… C-could you… S-see what that was?" Sam asked. Simon nodded and hurried upstairs, looking through each of the rooms, finally coming back down.

"It was just the lamp in mom's room falling. It didn't break. It just made a lot of noise. Are you sure you're alright? Your whole body is shaking."

"I-I'm… F-fine…" Sam said. Simon shook his head.

"No! Y-you're not fine! What's wrong, Sammy…"

"I said I'm fine!" Sam shouted, Simon gasping at the anger in her eyes. "Why do you have to be so goddamn annoying!" The young blonde girl demanded. She looked at Simon, seeing tears forming in his eyes, and suddenly felt immense guilt for her outburst.

"I'm sorry!" She sobbed, hugging him even tighter, afraid that if she let go, that he'd leave her.

"Please! Don't leave me! I need you!" She pleaded.

"Sammy… I'm not going to leave you… You're acting weird." Simon said, not realizing that was very much the wrong thing to say. Suddenly, the room went silent. It was almost deafening.

Simon looked over again. Sam was shaking even more violently. She was completely silent, but it didn't seem like she even knew he was there. She was trembling, her arms crossed over her chest like she was trying to protect herself.

"P-p-please…" She whispered, barely audible.

"Sammy…" Simon said, gently touching her, causing the poor blonde girl to scream and kick desperately at Simon.

"Please! Don't hurt me, Saoirse!" She pleaded. Simon started to leave her alone, but then decided to hug her. She just needed someone to hold her. He tried, and she screamed even louder, though.

He didn't know what to do, so he ran to the phone in a panic, shakily dialing up Amanda.

"Hello?"  
"M-M-Mom!" Simon cried.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked.

"Sammy's freaking out! I don't know what's wrong with her, but she's shaking and whenever I touch her, she screams! I just… I-is she dying? Is she gonna be alright?" Simon asked.

"Alright. Take a deep breath, Simon. Sammy's not dying. She's having a panic attack. She'll come down in a little while. You should do what you can to keep her comfortable, but don't touch her, since it seems to upset her right now.

"What's a panic attack?"  
"It's hard to explain. But something bad happened that night. She won't tell me or Erik what happened, but we know something bad happened."  
"What do you think happened?" Simon asked.

"Well… You're a little young… I think it's best if you don't know… We had the doctors give her medicine that will take care of any physical things that might happen because of what happened that night. And right now, she's reliving what happened. It could have been anything, really. A loud noise, an innocent comment, a combination of the two. But she's having an acute reaction. Basically, she's back wherever she was with whatever was happening that night.

"And she just needs you to be there for her. Talk to her if it helps. But don't touch her. When she comes down, maybe she'll tell you what happened. Just give her time. Make sure she's comfortable and make sure she knows she's safe. Call me or your Dad when she comes down and is ready to talk to us. If she needs me to, I'll come home right away." Amanda said. Simon nodded and they hung up. He went into the TV room and sat back on the couch.

"Sammy… I won't touch you… But I-I want you to know you're safe." He whispered. Sam shook, not saying anything except occasional pleas for Saoirse not to hurt her. Finally, she looked at Simon again, though. She still seemed scared, but she also seemed embarrassed.

"I'm s-s-sorry you h-had t-to see that…" She stammered. Simon shook his head.

"It's alright, Sammy. Can I hug you?" He asked. She nodded, holding him tightly in her arms.

"I love you, Sammy… Do you want some tea?" He asked. Sam sniffled, nodding. He went into the kitchen and began boiling water, pouring it into two mugs and putting sugar, honey and chamomile tea along with a mint leaf in one. He knew exactly how Sam liked her tea. He preferred raspberry-chocolate tea. So he made that for himself and went out to the sitting room and put the mug down in front of Sam, who took the tea and took a shaky sip of it.

"Y-you know exactly what I like." She said.

"Of course I do, Sammy. I told you, I love you more than anyone in the world." Simon said. He took a deep breath, steeling himself to ask the big questions.  
"What happened?" He asked. "You were begging Saoirse to not hurt you. I don't know what exactly happened, but I know that you were scared." He said. Sam nodded.

"I-I can't tell you exactly what happened… You're too young… But Saoirse and some boys did a bad thing t-to me." Sam said.

"Did they… Make you do _that_ with them?" Simon asked. Sam raised an eyebrow, taking another sip.

"How do you know about things like that? You're eight."

"Sammy… It's 2015. I'm eight years old and I'm not a retard. I know about sex." Simon said. Sam sighed, shaking her head. When she was eight, she didn't know much about sex.

"Well… I'll spare you the nasty details, but that's… Essentially right. But don't use that word."

"What word? Sex?"

"No. Retard. It's a bad word."

"Oh… S-sorry, Sammy." Simon muttered.

"Don't apologize. It's alright." Sam said.

"M-mom wants you to call her. I was scared when you started having a panic attack and I called her. Sam trembled slightly, picking up the phone and calling their mom.

"H-h-hey, M-mom…" Sam said.

"Sammy… Are you alright?" Amanda asked. Sam nodded.

"Y-y-yes… I-I'm… Fine…" Sam said.

"No, you're not. Do you want me to come home? My boss said that I could leave if you need me." Amanda said. Sam shivered.

"I-I… Y-yes…" Sam said. Amanda said she'd be right home and said goodbye, hanging up. About fifteen minutes later, Amanda walked in the door and was immediately hugged tighter than she'd ever been hugged by Sam. The young blonde girl was crying miserably. Amanda went and sat down with her.

"Do you think you can tell me what happened that night?" Amanda asked. Sam sighed, trying to steady herself. She knew her mother had the right to know what happened.

But she was having trouble accepting herself.  
"Alright." Sam said, telling Amanda everything that happened that night, from when she tried to have a sit down with Saoirse and how she thought their talk was going well, but then she asked Sam to walk her home, since her driver was off duty at the time, and she was waylaid by some thugs and how when she woke up, she was tied up in an alleyway.

She made sure Amanda knew that they didn't rape her. But they stripped her naked and touched her all over, and how Saoirse ordered them to dunk her head under the water and how she thought she was going to die that night. But then when she woke up, she realized that she wasn't dead, but she could barely walk because of how much they had abused her knee. Amanda remembered how swollen Sam's knee was. The doctors said it wasn't broken, but they gave her treatment for her knee all the same.

Several times throughout the story, Sam broke down, unable to continue. Amanda comforted her when this happened, and when Sam was able to talk again, she continued. By the end, she was trembling violently, her eyes wide with fear and pain.

Her mother hugged her though, and assured her that she was there for her.

"Sammy… I-I admire how optimistic you were with this Saoirse girl… But why would you put yourself alone with a girl who had been organizing this torture for six months? And why did she do that? What reason could she possibly have for this vendetta against you?" Sam blushed.

"I-I can't tell you. I-I'm just not ready." Sam said. Amanda nodded. She didn't really blame Sam. She hadn't proven herself very trustworthy yet, and frankly, Amanda knew that Sam had been a better mother to Simon than she had. It was sad, but true.

"Alright. Well, if you ever feel like you can, don't hesitate. Any time, day or night, you can talk to me. Do you understand, sweetie?" The nurse asked. Sam nodded.

"Good. Now, do you have any ideas for dinner? I was thinking pizza." Amanda said. Sam nodded, going and getting Simon, asking him what toppings he wanted. Simon always loved extra pepperoni and Sam liked white pizza with extra garlic. Amanda just wanted cheese, so they got two pizzas. One half-white with extra garlic and half-extra pepperoni and one with extra cheese for her and Erik. When the pizzas arrived, they dug in. Sam noticed that Erik looked completely sober.

"Hey, Dad… You're not drinking… You don't have a beer at the table, you look completely focused. What's going on?" The young blonde asked. Erik sighed.

"Well… I've used alcohol as a crutch for way too long. As soon as we move, I have a new job lined up as a construction foreman. I won't be on the ground with the workers anymore, but I'll be overseeing the workers and making sure everything gets done." Erik said.

"As a result, your mom won't have to work nearly as hard or as long." He said.

"But… Doesn't your knee hurt?"  
"Yes. But it doesn't hurt nearly as much as it would have hurt if you didn't make it. I realized that night that I've missed almost Simon's entire life, and a majority of yours, Sammy. Say what you want about my reasons, but that's not acceptable.

"So I dumped all of my alcohol. Every last drop. I'll never drink another drop again." Erik said. Sam smiled and hugged her father.

"I'm proud of you, Dad." She said, her eyes showing just how much she admired him for his decision. The family continued eating, and Erik expressed how much better food tasted when he wasn't too drunk to enjoy it. Sam laughed at this comment.

It almost felt like they were a normal family. Sam only regretted that it had taken her almost dying for this all to happen. She wondered what they would say when they found out what a deviant she was. Would they still love her? Would Erik still stick by his desire to be sober when he found out she was gay? This thought caused her to be distracted and unable to enjoy the rest of dinner.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

 _Alric stood by himself… He was always by himself. He didn't really have any friends… Anyone that he didn't chase away with his bad attitude would eventually see his scars and not want to be his friend. Gross, they called him. Monster, they called him. Freak, they called him. And those were some of the less extreme reactions. What he hated even more than the mockery and the teasing was the pity._

 _Every time someone looked at him with those eyes that were clearly disgusted by him, but they also felt sorry for him. 'Oh, that poor boy', they said. 'How horrible it must be to look like that', they said. And every time he heard people say that, he just wanted to hit them so badly. He wanted to punch them over and over and force them to stop looking at him like that. He was almost kicked out of school once because he beat up someone for gasping when they saw his eye._

 _Ever since then, he held his anger in. He yelled at people and made people not like him so that he would never have to worry about them feeling sorry for him. He looked down at his reflection in the puddle. He brushed his hair out of his eye and growled again for what felt like the millionth time. That scar would never go away. That scar that would always make him a monster, a freak. Even his own parents couldn't love someone as ugly as him. He was sure of it._

 _They never said anything, but he knew. He knew that every time they told him they loved him, it was a lie. Every time they kissed him, they had to hold their vomit back. Every time they looked him in the eye, they had to steel themselves so they wouldn't flinch. He hated his parents most of all. He just wished that they would be honest about how they felt about him, about how they despised him, how he was the biggest disappointment of their lives._

 _That's why he jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He quickly covered his right eye._

" _How much did you see!" Alric demanded, grabbing the boy who had touched him._

" _Um… See of what? Y-you… Looked sad, so I wanted to see if you were alright." The boy said. He had light blonde hair, pale blue eyes and pale skin, like he didn't get outside much. His face was so normal, so cute, so loveable. Alric hated him already._

" _I'm fine! Leave me alone!" Instead, the boy smiled at him. He was missing a few teeth already, so the gaps in his smile were noticeable. He seemed nice._

" _I'm Simon! What's your name?" He asked, reaching out a hand. Alric hesitantly reached out as well, his eye still showing his distrust. How long could Simon keep smiling at him?_

 _How long until he saw his hideous, deformed face and he ran screaming, or looked at him with that same pity as all those other adults?_

" _I'm Alric." He said. Simon smiled even wider, showing that he had a very strong handshake._

" _I like your name! I bet Sammy would like you too!"_

" _S-Sammy? Another friend of yours?" Alric asked cautiously. He didn't want to get too close._

" _My best friend in the world! She's my sister." Alric actually snorted in laughter at this._

" _Boy, I thought you must've had a lot of friends. I guess not, if your_ _ **sister**_ _is your best friend!" Alric teased. Simon laughed as well, though._

" _Well… Sammy mostly takes care of me. My Mommy is always away and Daddy is always asleep… So I guess Sammy is more like my Mommy than my best friend."_

" _Where's your real Mom?" Alric asked, still cautious, but finding that it was hard to keep his guard up around this kid. He was so friendly and seemed so open that it was like he was tearing down Alric's walls as quickly as he could build them._

" _I know you, don't I?" Simon asked. His eyes lit up._

" _Yeah! You and I are in the same class! Ms. DiAngelo!" Simon said. Alric nodded._

" _You never hang out with anyone. Don't you want to be friends with everyone?"_

" _I don't need friends! Especially not jackasses who just wanna make fun of me!"_

" _I don't want to make fun of you. Why would I do that?" Simon asked. Alric hissed angrily at Simon, fighting back tears. He couldn't let Simon in, because he knew that Simon would just turn on him as soon as… A strong wind blew, blowing the hair out of his face, revealing his scars. Alric roared angrily, covering his scarred eye, glaring furiously at Simon, trying to hide his fear._

" _Alric… Is that what you were trying to hide with your hair?" Simon asked. Alric was searching Simon's face for any signs of disgust or pity. There were none._

" _Yes… So go ahead and tell everyone what a gross freak I am! That's what you want, isn't it?" Alric demanded. Simon shook his head._

" _No way. I was hoping you would be my friend… If- if you don't want to, though… That's okay…"_

" _You're not grossed out by me?" Alric asked._

" _No. Why would I be?" Simon asked, seeming genuinely confused._

" _Because I'm a freak! I'm an ugly, gross freak!"_

" _You look pretty normal to me." Simon said. "Sammy always said that appearances don't matter… It's how someone is inside that matters. You seem like a pretty cool person. Do you wanna be friends?" Simon asked. Alric actually laughed._

" _I don't get you… Sure. Let's be friends." Alric replied._

Simon was sitting at lunch, facing all his best friends. They had been best friends for what felt like forever. Alric was still his closest friend. They had been tight since kindergarten, but that didn't mean that the rest weren't his best friends or that he wouldn't miss them. And the looks of surprise and upset on everyone's faces was hard for Simon to take. He just wanted to tell them that he was joking, that he would be with them forever and that they would always be best friends.

He couldn't lie to them, though. If nothing else, they deserved the truth. He sighed and continued telling them what he had started to say.

"My family is moving… North, I think." Simon said.

"So… You're leaving us?" Alric asked. Simon sighed, nodding.

"Yeah… We have to move." He wished Alric hadn't put it quite like that. Didn't he know that if Simon had any other choice, he would stay?

"Why? Did your Mommy or Daddy get a new job?" Noriko asked. Alric and Noriko were two of his best friends in the world. They had all worked together on a project in second grade. Along with Jimmy and Eddie, they all did a performance of the Telltale Heart.

They got a really good grade on it.

"Not exactly. Listen, Nori… It's something to do with Sammy. I don't know exactly what happened. She won't tell me. But she was being bullied and about two weeks ago, she came home really badly hurt." Noriko covered her mouth, gasping. She had met Sam, and she really liked her. She remembered Sam helped her put on some makeup and nail polish the first time she decided to wear it.

"That's horrible!" She said.

"What happened when she got home, Simon? Did she go to the hospital?" Jimmy asked. Jimmy was pretty average looking in almost every way. He had an incredible singing voice, though. He could easily keep the attention of an entire room.

He was thin, but not skinny… He had average brown hair and brown eyes. But his voice was strong and confident and girls really liked that about him. He said that his singing teacher was trying to encourage him to gain weight, which could strengthen his voice. It wasn't a matter of being fat. It was a matter of having a bigger chest, which might happen naturally in his teenage years. But until then, to maximize his ability, he needed to be a bit less thin.

"Yeah… She just got home from the hospital today… At least I think so." Simon muttered. Jimmy shook his head slightly. He couldn't imagine how upset Simon was.

"Is she alright now?" He asked. Simon laughed, though there was no humor in his voice.

"Alright? No. She's alive, if that's what you mean." After that, he moved on and spoke to everyone.

"Alric… Nori, Jimmy, Eddie… I'm really gonna miss all of you. But… I promise I'll never forget any of you." Alric seemed caught between anger and sadness. Simon had always been the one who would calm him down when he got angry. Simon was the one who knew how to help pick him up when he was lost in his own pain. Simon was like a brother to him. Simon was the first to notice his shoulders trembling.

"Hey, Alric… Are you alright?" Simon asked. Alric took a deep breath, nodding.

"Yes. I-I'm… Just… Really going t-to miss you." He said. Simon seemed to sense something deeper than that. He looked Alric right in the eye, brushing his hair away for a moment, making sure that only he and his friends could see. It was always a big deal when someone brushed Alric's hair away from the right side of his face because of what it meant to Alric.

"Do you remember that time in first grade? When I painted my fingernails blue? Sammy had the most beautiful light blue fingernails and I wanted mine to look like that too."

"I remember that…" Alric said. "You came to school with pale blue fingernails one day.

Everyone said I looked like a girl, and that I should start wearing a dress to go with my nails." Simon added. Alric laughed weakly, remembering that day perfectly.

"And I knocked out two of that asshole's teeth!" Alric said, his hands curling into fists.

"Then you said 'Nobody makes fun of Simon, except his friends!' Remember?" Simon asked. The two laughed. Alric nodded.

"Well… You wouldn't have given him the beating he deserved.

"Exactly. I don't know how much of a beating he deserved." Simon said. "But you've been one of the best friends I've ever had. I know that you'll keep being just as good a friend to Nori, Eddie and Jimmy after I'm gone. Besides, I bet we'll see each other again. I'll be sure to call you when I get to wherever I'm going next and tell you my new address so you can visit me sometime…" Simon said, smiling at the group.

"C-can't you visit us?" Alric asked.

"I'm not sure. We're leaving because Sammy isn't safe here. She recently managed to make up with her friends… Or well, her friends managed to get her to forgive them for abandoning her… But a lot of people at her school have been really mean to her and she almost died a few weeks ago because of something really terrible they did to her.

"She won't tell me exactly what happened, but there was a dark, smelly alleyway and some mean guys.

"Hm… Who could ever be mean to Sammy? She's an angel." Alric said. Simon smiled. Alric had a crush on Sam for a long time, ever since they first met, really. It felt like a long time ago that they met. Sam had been babysitting Alric, and had taken him to the park with Simon.

 _The two were playing and Alric called Sam over to play with them. She was still a little bit young, so she agreed and they fought with sticks and chased each other around. Finally, they started playing hide and seek._

 _Everything was going great. Alric was really getting the hang of his coordination. Alric still wasn't really used to having people be this nice to him. People either looked at his disgusting face and turned away or hated him because he was such a jerk. He had to make sure Sam never saw his scars. Unfortunately, his hand-eye coordination still wasn't perfect, and he tripped, causing Sam to fall over him._

 _As she stood up, she saw what Alric had been trying to hide ever since he met her. She looked him right in the eyes… Both eyes. He could feel tears streaming down his cheeks. He trembled in fear for a moment, not wanting to stick around and find out what came after the shock. He ran, practically tripping over his feet getting away from her. She desperately reached out, feeling her hand closing around his wrist. He bit her, though and as she yanked her hand away, he kept running._

 _For a moment, Sam was left in shock, not because of his scars or because of the angry bite mark on her hand now. This had been her first babysitting job. Alric's parents had told her they trusted her and she had just betrayed that trust. She should have held on tighter. She should have ignored the pain. She should have pulled him back and told him it was alright. She had failed and there was nothing she could do now to make it alright._

 _She didn't even notice when Simon came over, having come out of his hiding place after he wasn't found. Usually Sam found him pretty quickly. She knew him better than he knew himself sometimes. There was nobody in the world as smart or kind or sweet or funny or talented or pretty as Sammy. She was his hero, so when he saw her sobbing on the ground, he rushed over to her and hugged her. He didn't even notice at first that Alric wasn't there anymore._

" _Sammy? What's wrong?"  
"S-Simon!" She gasped, looking even more scared now. She hugged him even tighter than he was holding her._

" _I… I lost Alric!" She sobbed. Simon looked at her, surprised._

 _He couldn't remember the last time he saw her crying. He thought she was really hurt._

" _Sammy… Alric must be around here somewhere… We'll… Sammy! What happened to your hand?" He asked, grabbing her wrist and looking at her right hand._

" _I-I… Alric tripped and I saw his face…"_

" _Oh…" Simon said. Sam looked even more upset now if that was possible. The way Simon said 'oh'. She had messed up bad._

" _Did you look disgusted?" Simon asked. Sam shook her head._

" _Of course not!"  
"Did you feel… Pity for him?"_

" _Not really. Lots of people have scars. I was a little worried about him. He seemed really scared. I tried to grab his wrist so he couldn't run away, but he bit me."  
"I'll talk to him about that." Simon said. "I think I know where he might go. He and I go to a few different places in the park when we're here together." Simon said, taking Sam's left hand and guiding her around the park._

 _There was a secluded grotto that they hung out at and tried to dig out a big rock with rocks that they sharpened on the big rock. It was a bit of a game for them. They wanted to see if they could dig it out. They hadn't managed yet. But they only had the spring and summer. In the fall, the dirt got too hard for them to dig. He wasn't there._

" _Alright, it's alright Sammy." Simon said, squeezing Sam's hand to let her know he was there for her._

" _You didn't do anything wrong." He said. "We'll find him. There's a spot where there's an ice cream trolley most of the time. He might be there." They went across the park and talked to the vendor, who said that Alric hadn't been there. Simon told Sam that the last place he could think of was down by the pond. He liked to just stare at the water._

 _Simon tended to find that boring, but Alric just looked at his reflection. Simon didn't know why Alric would want to do that when he hated how he looked so much. But they went to the pond and found him, looking into his reflection, seeming especially angry, throwing rocks at it so he couldn't see himself.  
_

" _You're a monster!" He screamed at his own reflection. "You're so ugly and gross and disgusting! Your own parents don't even love you! Who could ever love a disgusting, gross, monster freak like you?" After that, he dissolved into hysterical sobs and incoherent screams. Simon hadn't seen Alric like this in what felt like a long time. Sam gasped. The vitriol and rage that he screamed with was shocking. It was hard to imagine a child so young being so angry, having so much self-loathing._

 _She never knew he had such dark thoughts. He always seemed so confident. When she met him the first time, he smirked at her and said that he was the coolest person in the world. She had thought it was kind of cute that he was so confident. Now, seeing how much he hated the way he looked was heartbreaking. She ignored Simon's warning not to go over to him and ran over, hugging him tightly._

" _Alric! I was so worried about you!" She yelled._

 _She looked angry. He covered the right side of his face, making sure his hair wouldn't move again. But she pulled his hand away and brushed the hair out of his face._

" _Much better…" She said. "Alric… There is nothing wrong with the way you look."  
"But you… Th-the way you looked at me!" He sobbed._

" _I was worried about you._

" _You fell and I was afraid you'd gotten hurt. I saw the scars and I was worried about what had happened. Simon never told me anything about it."  
"I-I made him promise not to ever tell anyone what an ugly, disgusting freak I am. Maybe Simon's cool enough to not judge me. But most people aren't."_

 _Sam gently reached up and touched Alric's scarred, burned face, running her fingers along the slightly disturbed skin and smiling at him again._

" _Alric. There. Is. Nothing. Wrong with the way you look. You're not a freak, you're not a monster and you're not ugly." Sam said, holding a now sobbing Alric, rocking him back and forth._

" _I-I'm sorry I bit you, S-Sammy…" He muttered, blushing slightly at the angry red mark on her hand. Sam shrugged.  
"It's fine. It'll heal in no time. I'll put some antibiotic cream when I get home and put a Band Aid over it." She said. Alric realized that was when he fell in love with Sam._

Eventually, he had gotten over his crush on Sam, developing feelings for Noriko, who Simon thought was a much more realistic object of Alric's affection. Sam was not only five years older than Alric, but a lesbian. Now, Simon only found out the second part fairly recently. But he knew that Alric didn't really have a chance with Sam because of their age difference. He still admired Sam immensely, and felt very safe with her. But he didn't have the same feelings he used to.

The bell rang and the five kids separated to go to their respective classes. At the end of the day, they got together briefly before heading to their own homes and Simon told them that he was moving on Friday and that he really hoped he could see them one last time the day he moved. They all agreed and Alric even said he could see if he could skip school that day. Simon hugged Alric.

"Hey, guys… You know… Easter Holidays are coming up… Actually, Mom and Dad decided to move before Easter Holidays so that we have time to settle in in Royal Woods." Simon said. He wished they would have chosen to move at the end so they could spend the week together. But he understood why they were doing it this way… Sort of.

"We're moving next week on Saturday." The young blonde boy said. They nodded.

"Well… We've decided… We want to each get time to spend one last afternoon with you. We'll each take you out after school. Now, we haven't decided what order we'll do it in. So we're gonna do rock-paper-scissors right now." Noriko said, showing how organized she was.

"We all want our chance to spend one last special day with you before you leave. It's just a matter of when we have it. So everyone gather around for the first day. That would be today." Noriko said. She, Amelia, Alric, Jimmy, and Eddie. At the end, Noriko wrote out the Last Week Calendar.

They talked about it for a little while before Noriko grinned. She may have been a very elegant young woman when she needed to be. But she could also be very tomboyish when she was on her own time.

"Welp, I've got you first, Simon… You wanna learn some martial arts? I'd like to think that what we do together is what we both want." Noriko said.

"You had me at martial arts." Simon laughed.

Noriko grabbed Simon's arm and pulled him off to her school. As he ran with her, he called Amanda and told her that he'd be getting home later than usual every night that week because he was spending one last evening with each of his friends. Noriko assured her that they would both be fine, and that Simon would get home in one piece.

A/N: The next few chapters will each have the final day of one of the friends with Simon. They'll probably be pretty short, relatively speaking, maybe 2 or 3 pages. But they'll be heartfelt. I hope you'll like them.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"Alright… You're mine for the evening, Simon!" Noriko said with a laugh. Simon laughed nervously.

"Alright. What are we doing?"  
"I am going to take you to my uncle's martial arts school. He's agreed to let you take some lessons this evening. Some sparring, mostly. But I'll also be working with you on punches and kicks. By the end of the evening, you'll have had a better workout than ever before." Noriko said.

"Oh… I don't have a uniform." Simon said. Noriko laughed.

"Yes you do. My uncle said I could give one to you. Keep it to remember me by." Noriko said, taking Simon into a medium sized building.

"Lemme guess… You're Simon?" A man of about 30 asked.

"Yeah… And you're Nori's uncle?"  
"Yeah… I'm Richard Shepherd. But call me Rick." He said with a good natured smile. "Here's a uniform. You're kids' medium, I'm guessing?"

"Probably." Simon said. Rick nodded.

"Well, go try it on. We'll see if it fits you right." Simon hurried to the back and came out in a sharp looking red uniform with a white belt."

"You look great, Simon." Rick said, patting Simon on the back.

"Listen… I-I don't want you to give me stuff just cuz I'm leaving." Simon said quietly, seeming really sad.

"Simon… I'm not giving you this because you're leaving… I mean, yeah… It's one of the reasons… But I'm giving you this because you're my friend." Noriko said. She leaned in.

"Hey… You and Alric are really good friends, right?" She asked. Simon nodded.

"We've been best friends since kindergarten." He said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well… Are there any girls he's interested in?" She asked. Simon laughed to himself.

"You should ask him. You're his friend too."

"I just don't wanna embarrass myself in front of him. He's so cool and he's really sweet. I know he has some anger problems still. I can always tell when he's trying to hold his temper by this little vein that throbs in his neck. Simon's eyes widened. It had taken him six months before he recognized that and realized that it meant he was about to lose it.

Noriko was one of their best friends and he knew that Alric really liked Noriko. He was really happy to know that Noriko felt the same way. But he wasn't going to spill the beans.

"You should talk to Alric. I'm sure he'll be really flat that you feel that way about him."

"Mmm… Flat?" Noriko asked. Rick's ears perked up as well.

"You know… Touched… Um, happy in sort of an 'aww, that's sweet' sort of way." Simon said.

"Flattered?" Rick suggested. Simon nodded.

"Yeah! That's it!" He said excitedly.

"Now, I don't know much about Taekwondo or Hapkido, but I've had to fight a little bit in the past six months or so… Um… S-Sammy got into some trouble with some bullies and that's why I came to school all banged up that one time." Noriko nodded. Simon hadn't explained why he had a broken nose, a black eye, his arm in a sling and a limp and why he was on crutches for a week.

He had only said that he was defending someone whose happiness was more important than his life. They all assumed at the time that he had been up against a bunch of people who were trying to hurt Alric. Alric immediately denied that he was involved, and mentioned that he wondered what happened too, since Simon never kept secrets from him. So hearing that he had was shocking to say the least.

"So… What really happened that day?" Noriko asked. Simon sighed. There was no point in keeping secrets anymore.

"Well… There's this person that Sammy had a crush on. But… Not only did they not like her back, they wanted to make her life miserable. So they got a bunch of people in the school to cause trouble for her.

"They and some friends of her… I mean, theirs cornered her behind the school and tried to cut Sammy's hair… I… I found them and was fighting the bullies… But… Ugh… I wasn't strong enough to protect Sammy… I was too small and too weak. I couldn't help her, and she ended up having to protect me. She ran after I got knocked out and took me to the hospital." Noriko gasped.

"That's horrible! Just because Sam like girls, they treated her like that?" Noriko asked. Simon smiled. He knew what a great person Noriko was… But this just renewed his faith in her as his friend. He could see why Alric liked her so much.

"Alright… Let's get out to the floor and start warming up." Noriko said.

The two went out and started stretching. Noriko was fairly impressed with how flexible Simon was. He also had pretty decent cardio. He didn't love sports, but he was pretty good at running and Noriko had noticed that he was good at soccer and bicycling. Art was his strong point, but he was good at the sports that he played, and from what he said, he had decent intuition for fighting.

Finally, they finished warming up. They went out on the floor and Noriko began teaching Simon various moves for Taekwondo and Hapkido, practicing them in mock sparring matches so he could see and use them in actual matches. Simon proved to be a quick learner. The two worked together and finally, they squared off for a real sparring match.

It quickly became obvious that Simon had natural talent, but Noriko was much more skilled. She won almost every round. But he kept getting up. Noriko was really impressed. Even with his foam padding, he was taking her hits like a champ. A few times, he was able to get a surprise attack in. He was unpredictable in combat, and showed what a natural he was. He wasn't a natural at athletics.

But as an artist, he seemed to have a certain intuition for spatial relations and creativity, and although he was out of breath, he kept fighting, showing the same creativity, if not efficiency in combat. For the rest of the evening, they sparred and learned new moves. Finally, as it was starting to get dark out, Noriko took Simon to a diner across the street and got dinner for both of them.

"Are you sure I can't pay you back once I get home?" Simon asked, feeling a little bit guilty about Noriko treating him to dinner. Nori laughed.

"I'm positive. Listen… We're putting this all together for you, Simon… You worked out really hard. Look at you. You're covered in sweat. You got a really good workout. Now, you need something good to eat. So tell me, where are you guys moving?" Noriko asked.

"Well… Someplace called Royal Woods." Simon said. Noriko nodded.

"Okay... And that's upstate Ohio?"

"No... Michigan... I guess it's about five or six hours away from here. I'm sure this isn't the last time we'll meet." Simon said, hugging Noriko.

"Simon… D-do you remember the first time we met?" She asked. Simon's eyes lit up. He nodded cheerfully, remembering back. It had only been a year and a half ago.

He had been about to turn six. He had met Alric a few months back and they were already best friends. They were in gym and Alric was still getting used to being blind in one eye, so gym class was difficult for him.

Noriko seemed to notice his lack of depth perception. She didn't know what was wrong, but she stepped up and helped when they played dodgeball. She and Simon worked together to help keep Alric from getting hit too easily, all while making it seem like they weren't helping that much. Simon knew how much Alric's pride meant to him and Noriko didn't want to seem weird, since she barely knew either of them. For the entire class, she helped from the shadows more or less.

She caught balls that were headed to his blind side and tagged people who looked like they were taking unfair advantage of Alric's poor depth perception. At one point though, a ball whizzed past his face and blew his hair out of his face. Noriko got a full view of his face. Alric gasped and covered it up again, glaring resentfully at Noriko and rushing out of the gym, not even worrying about his grade.

Noriko followed him and Simon followed her, hoping to cut off any teasing that might happen and found him sitting in the back where nobody could see him. She sat down next to him and started talking to him.

"Hey, Alric… You know, my Ojii-sama… My grandfather, was a Japanese soldier in World War II. He fought bravely and honorably and he was heavily scarred all over his body. His hands, his chest, his face.

"He got hit by shrapnel… Shredded metal, and he was blinded in his left eye. But he still kept fighting until the end of the day, when he was collected by medics and given medical treatment. But there wasn't much they could do. He had really bad scars… We… My siblings and I were taught to honor his scars. They were symbols of his strength and bravery.

"And I think you're really brave. Some people can be very mean and make fun of people for things like scars. But you still come to school every day, and you don't try to get out of gym. You're blind in your right eye, aren't you?" Noriko asked. Alric nodded, tears streaming down his face. Noriko gently brushed his blonde hair out of his face and looked him in the eye.

"Your scars are nothing to be ashamed of. My grandfather's scars told the story of his bravery. Your scars tell a story too. I-if it's not too personal, maybe you could tell me what happened?"

"My scars don't tell a story. Some chemicals spilled on my face. Nothing that special. I'm not brave. I'm just ugly." Alric said. Simon reacted angrily.

"You. Are not. Ugly!" Simon exclaimed. Noriko smiled at him.

"And you're Simon Sharp, right? I see you and Alric together all the time. You're best friends, right?" She asked. Simon nodded happily.

"Yeah… We met in kindergarten." Simon said. Alric nodded shyly.

"So… You… You really don't think I'm gross?" Alric asked defensively. Noriko's fingers found their way to Alric's burned cheek, gently tracing the scars.

"No. I don't think you're gross. There's nothing wrong with the way you look." Noriko said.

"Yeah… I'm glad I was able to become friends with you and Alric that day. We're best friends now. Mm…" Noriko said, looking at her watch. They had both finished their meals, but they had kept talking for over an hour.

"We need to get home. I'll call my family. They can take you home. They don't like me walking on my own at night." Noriko said. She was good at martial arts, but they still didn't want her out alone at night. Simon could understand that. He got a little scared alone at night on the city streets as well.

After about fifteen minutes, Noriko's parents and her sisters and brother came into the diner, smiling at Simon. Nori's mother was very reserved. She was raised from birth to not speak unless spoken to, to never show her teeth when she smiled, to be good at cleaning and cooking and sewing and household duties. It was her parents' way when they were kids, and they taught that to her. She had become more outgoing after she moved to America.

She was still very quiet and usually didn't meet her boss's eyes, as that was seen as disrespectful in Japan. She also often walked behind her husband. She explained to him once that was just the way her mother behaved, and she learned it from watching her. Noriko was a much more outgoing girl. She was much more of a product of America than Japan.

"Come on, Nori… We'll drive you home, Simon." Mr. Shepherd said. They paid for Simon's and Noriko's dinner and took Simon home. The trip there was always fun.

"So, Emiko… How's um… How's high school going?" Simon asked. Emiko smiled, blowing a bubble as big as she could and letting it pop. Emiko was 15 and in tenth grade and was the oldest sister.

"What have I told you about that bubblegum, Emi?" Noriko's dad asked.

"Not in the car." Emiko said, continuing to chew anxiously.

"Are you alright, Emiko?" Simon asked. He knew about her anxiety, and he knew that when she blew bubbles with her gum, it meant she was compensating.

"Y-yeah… J-just a busy d-ay…" Emiko stammered, Simon looked over at her.

"H-how's Sammy d-d-doing?" Emiko asked, her teeth chattering, her body shaking.

"Sam's doing alright, I guess… It's you I'm worried about. You look like you're about to have a breakdown." Simon said. Emiko took a deep breath, shaking her head.

"N-no… I'm fine… Just a bad day."

"Hey, Simon…" Yuriko said sweetly. Yuriko was Noriko's older sister, and she was 11. She was a bit nerdy and liked Pokemon, Magic the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons. She wasn't much into martial arts like Noriko and Emiko were.

"Hey, Simon!" Came a small voice from the backseat. The family's youngest child, Takashi was a little bit shy, but he was sweet.

"Hey, Taka! How's everything going?" Simon asked. He was really going to miss Noriko and her family. They had always been really good friends to him and Emiko was hardly Sam's 'best friend', but they got along well.

He and Yuriko got along well, even though she was three years older than him. They played video games together and talked about Pokémon cards they had gotten and she was always interested in his latest masterpiece, whether it was a drawing or a painting or a sculpture he was doing. He was still pretty new at sculptures, but he was really good at painting and drawing, and he was getting pretty good at Origami under Yumiko's, Noriko's mother's tutelage.

She taught Sam and Simon a lot of things about Japanese culture, from things about the Samurai to tea ceremonies, to traditional paper folding AKA, Origami. Although she was reaching her mid-40s, Yumiko still looked very young. Hugo, Noriko's father still looked like he was in his early 40s, even though he was turning 50 soon. He had sandy brown hair that was starting to gray and brown eyes.

Noriko's green eyes were an anomaly. Both her parents were brown eyed, so the odds of her having green eyes were extremely low. Emiko had blue eyes, which was also pretty unlikely. The rest of the family all had brown eyes.

"So… Simon… I hear you're moving?" Hugo asked. Simon sighed, nodding.

"Yes, Mr. Shepherd. S-Sammy's had some trouble with bullies that's not going away. Our parents decided that it's better if we just move." Simon said.

"It doesn't seem like you like that you're moving." Hugo said. Simon shook his head.

"I'll miss my friends… But things got really bad for Sammy… I don't know exactly what happened, but she needs to be somewhere else… A-and I-I'm happy t-to do that for her…" Simon said, fighting back tears, now that he was with his friends… Noriko's family had always welcomed him whenever he came over. It was always like he was a member of the family himself. Even after he left, he felt like they would always have room for him at their table.

Having to leave them like this was hard for him. He didn't want to go. He knew Sam needed to leave. He couldn't understand what happened to her… A dark, smelly alleyway. Some big, mean boys and Saoirse. He knew she came home limping, covered in bruises and soaking wet and filthy. He also knew that they couldn't just have beaten her up. If that had been all, they could have done that at school or right outside school.

But they lured her out and destroyed her. She wouldn't tell him what happened and his parents certainly weren't saying anything, if they even knew.

"No you're not." Emiko said. She had always been very observant.

"You're not happy to do this. You're willing to do it for her because you love her so much… But you don't have to pretend that you're happy about it." Yuriko added.

"Don't you trust us, Simon?" Takashi asked.

"O-of course I do… B-but… I need to tell myself that I'm happy to do it for her… H-how can I not be? She _needs_ to leave! She'll die if she stays here! H-how can I betray Sammy by not being willing to do whatever we need to do for her?" Simon asked. Hugo nodded.

"Listen, Simon… I've seen people willing to do a lot of things for the people they love. You're willing to do it. I know that. And you're not complaining because you think it's wrong to feel the way you do. But it's not. You're eight, and your friends are all here. You've lived here all your life. Just because you're willing to move for Sam's sake doesn't mean you have to repress your own feelings about it. Talk to your parents about it.

"If Sam is really in that much danger if she stays here, then I agree that you have to move. But it doesn't mean that you shouldn't tell your mom and dad how you feel. If you keep holding it in, it will come out eventually, and probably not in a good way. You need to let it out now. Talk to them and I'm sure they'll understand… And I'm sure if you were to talk to Sam, she'd understand as well."

"Family is important, and you honor your sister by your willingness to sacrifice for her. But honoring her at the expense of your own emotional health is not good, Simon." Yumiko said softly. Simon still thought she spoke a little bit strangely. He had known her for almost three years, and even now, she rarely spoke, and when she did, she still had an accent and spoke in a way that he didn't think most Americans would speak.

Noriko had explained that family, respecting your elders and honor were very important in Japan. She explained that you bowed to your elders, and it mattered how deeply you bowed. To someone of rank, you bowed lower than they did, that looking your boss in the eye in Japan was considered disrespectful and that there were a lot of rules governing that kind of thing. It seemed strange to Simon… But what did he know? He was only eight, after all.

Finally, they pulled up to Simon's brownstone and he got out, hugging Noriko one last time and telling her that he'd miss her when he moved, but that he hoped they could see each other again someday. Simon went inside, knowing that he couldn't possibly tell his parents about how he felt. He had already failed Sammy badly enough by allowing all this to happen in the first place. How could he add insult to injury by then complaining about the fallout?


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

"Hey, Simon… What do you know about LARPing?" Eddie asked. Simon raised an eyebrow.

"Well, other than that it's just a bunch of people getting together in period costumes and acting like someone else… Very little." Simon said. He didn't mean to dismiss Eddie's passion. He really didn't know much about it. 

"Well… That's a big part of it. Basically, you create a base character that you develop through roleplay. It's sort of like Dungeons and Dragons. In this case, we roleplay a system called Vampire the Requiem. We create a Vampire character for you. You choose a Clan, a Covenant, a name and a generalized background. I have some basic information on everything you need to know to start yourself off." Eddie said, handing Simon a small sheaf of papers. He started reading.

Vampire, Blood, Clans, Covenants, Ghouls and servants, crossing your fingers noticeably if you want to speak out of character, various taboos amongst Vampires and customs. It was all simple enough. Simon sighed and started drawing a picture of his character, a man who had sharp, features and deep blue eyes with dark brown hair. Although he's over 300 years old, he's kept up with modern fashion and keeps a more than slightly retro but still fashionable appearance.

He usually wears a brocade jacket with grey pants and a grey shirt and a crimson red tie. He carries around a leatherbound book with him that looks like it was clumsily stitched together and clasped with a silver buckle. What people don't know is that the journal holds spells and the results of his extensive research into rituals, history, the nature of Vampires and the Beast and other things that pique his interest. Although he's an Acolyte, he's also a researcher.

This makes him highly valued within the Circle. Eddie looked over Simon's writing and nodded, looking at descriptions of his strengths and weaknesses and signing off on them. Eddie had played both the tabletop version of this game and the LARPing version. As they got to the park, Eddie called out to everyone and they greeted him.

"Hey, Eddie!" A brown haired, hazel eyed girl said cheerfully. "Who's this?" She asked.

"Oh, this is Simon… He's gonna be joining us today. I take it there's room for one more?" He asked. The girl laughed.

"Always room for one more! We've already got twenty people. What can one more hurt? What clan are you in, Simon?" The girl asked.

"Um… Mekhet."

"Ugh… Those guys are so dark and creepy." She said, her face wrinkling.

"Susie gets really into her character. She's a Daeva in Invictus. She specializes in making custom gourmet Lacrima by Ghouling plants and milking them for their "sap" that's infused with Vampire Vitae.

"She makes a killing if you'll excuse the pun on the market for her specialized Blood Wine, and can charge or ask for more, the rarer and more exotic the ingredients are. She's got a huge circle of contacts and people who owe her favors in exchange for feeding their addictions to her extremely elegant and subtle art in creating her Blood Wine and Lacrima." Eddie said.

"What's your character's name?" Simon asked.

"Well… Her birth name is Ludmilla, but she insists that people call her Milla. What about you?"

"I'm Alaric Leopold Adawulf. I'm a Mekhet and a member of the Circle of the Crone. My trademark is my ability to do research. I can find almost anything for anyone… For the right price. He has Ghouls that serve as assistants.

"Ghouls that do well in helping him are rewarded with additional privileges and Vitae, while Ghouls who consistently fail him are usually eaten. He has ties with members of the Ordo Dracul who, after being given permission by their superiors of course… Or without permission… It's not really my business whether you get in trouble or not, trade knowledge of certain Coils for the results of his research.

"He only really has one Coil so far, since it takes a big research project to be worth the secrets of another Covenant."

"I like it. You've really thought this out, Simon. How long did you say you've been LARPing?" Susie asked.

"This is my first time playing." Simon said. Susie stared at Simon for a moment before slapping him harder than she meant to on the back.

"Nice! We have a natural here! Well, let's get started, Alaric." Susie said.

"Sure thing, Ludmilla." Simon replied. They all got in their places. Simon actually did know a little bit about Vampire.

Eddie talked a lot about it and the mechanics of the game. He was a newcomer to town in-game, so he would need to report to the Lord.

"I beg your pardon… I'm new in town and as such, I'm aware of the need to make an appearance before the Lord… Simply to be polite." Simon said, bowing to a young woman who looked to be fifteen. She looked at him with an expression of amused contempt.

"A newcomer? Well… I'm sure the Lord can fit you into her busy schedule. Might I ask your name?"

"Alaric Adawulf… And yours?" He asked in a soft, respectful tone, bowing to her with a smirk on his own face.

"Ah… Adawulf… Adawulf… Where have I heard that name?" She asked.

"I've… Done some… Minor research for a Lord or two… Nothing they couldn't have gotten for themselves through other methods… But I was glad to be of service."

"Of course… Please, come with me." She said. He had asked through several Vampires who eventually led him to this woman.

"And might I ask your name, Milady?" Simon asked.

"Candace Heatherwood." She said, announcing herself to the Lord, who sat up and summoned them in.

"Good evening, Milord. My name is Alaric Adawulf, Childe of Garda Alodia, Childe of Skaad Siegard. I'm simply passing through town, and wished to pay my respects to the Lord." Simon said, kneeling before the woman, who looked at him impassively.

"May I ask your purpose for being here?" She asked.

"I'm simply passing through and wished to present myself to you as per the Traditions." Simon said politely. Candace thought for a moment. She looked at her assistant and they spoke out of character for a moment. Eventually, she turned back to Simon.

"Do you recognize that name?" She asked. She crossed her fingers.

"What do you do in the vampire world that would make you known, Simon?" She asked.

"I can do magic. I'm a member of the Circle of the Crone, but my main job is doing research for whoever can pay for it." He said. She smiled.

"Researcher for hire, huh?" The girl said, still crossing her fingers. "As respectable a job as any."

"My assistant said you did some research into the Blood and the nature of Blood Bonds for her Sire once, a scientist named Alasi Dojuri?"

"Yes, Milord. That name is familiar to me." Simon said quietly.

"Very well. I hope to see you at future Elysiums if you're still in town." The Lord said.

"I will probably have left town by then. I'm heading Northeast right now."

"Very well. You're dismissed." She said proudly. Simon bowed once more and left. As he left, he ran into one of the vampires who was by the Lord's side when he walked into her chamber.

"My name is Gareth Landry." The young man said smugly, approaching Simon rather closer than Simon would have preferred. "So… You do magic, huh?" The Vampire asked. Obviously a very young Vampire. Obviously one short on manners. Simon couldn't tell if Gareth the vampire was short on manners or Gareth the LARPer was short on manners.

"Some." Simon said politely, not really inviting further conversation. He stopped though and looked with polite interest at the boy.

"What faction are you a part of? He asked challengingly.

"The Semioticians." Simon said politely. However, my interest in Crúac is primarily academic. I seek to understand the reason why our Blood allows us to do these fantastic things with it." Simon said. The boy raised an eyebrow.

"Why? What use is that? It all seems academic to me." Gareth said with a laugh.

"Well, I hope that through that academic knowledge, certain people with the intellectual capacity to understand and learn from it may find some practical use in it." Simon said delicately.

"Pardon me. I'm sure I've already taken up enough of your precious time." Simon said, turning and leaving the Lord's mansion.

The rest of the session went pretty much as expected and eventually the sun started to set and they began to wrap things up. Eddie and Simon got back together and the group headed to the pizza place. Apparently, the group always went for pizza after their LARPing sessions. They went to a pizza place and Eddie paid for both his and Simon's share of the meal. They ordered a bunch of pizzas, needing to write down what they wanted because of half-this and half that and so on.

Between the twenty-five of them. They ended up ordering five pies and a bunch of 2 liter bottles of soda and some waters. They all pitched in and sat down, celebrating the end of another successful session. Eddie sat next to Simon.

"Hey, buddy… Remember the Tell-Tale Heart video we did for class?" He asked Simon nodded.

"Yeah… Me, Nori and Alric were already friends, but you and Jimmy… Well, we didn't know it, but we were gonna become best friends through that project. You did an amazing job filming the project. Jimmy narrated, you filmed, I was the cop, Alric was the murderer and Nori was the victim and the disembodied heartbeat.

"We got an A+. The teacher said he had never seen a better amateur video in his class, and that it was especially impressive considering that we were 7. He even sent a note home to our parents telling them how impressed he was with all of our performances, and to your parents especially, suggesting that they look into further training for you in filmography."

"Well… A director is nothing without a great crew. Jimmy has an incredible voice and a great presence that draws everyone in. You were a good actor as the cop and Alric sold the tormented murderer very well. You know, I'm not very good at sports or karate like Nori is. I'm not charismatic and charming like you are. I'm not handsome like Alric is… I don't have a great voice or a strong personal presence like Jimmy does…

"But I know movies. I originally wanted to take you to a little theatre that plays black and white movies on a silver screen. We can bring snacks and sodas of our own in and we just have to pay for tickets to the movie itself. I thought this would be more fun, though. What did you think? Did you enjoy the LARP session?" Eddie asked. Simon nodded.

"Yeah… It was great… I've been listening to you talk about Vampire the Requiem since we were in second grade. I never thought I would get to play it with you." Simon said.

"So… Why are you and your family really moving? Don't give me the same joke about Sam not being safe here. Lots of teenagers attempt suicide. It's not usually a result of the city they live in." Eddie said. Simon growled angrily, causing Eddie to recoil slightly in shock.

"S-sorry… I-I wasn't joking. I can't tell you exactly why all this is happening."  
"Do you not know?" Eddie asked skeptically. Simon scoffed.

"Of course I know. It's not my business to tell Sammy's secrets though. Just trust me when I say that she will die if she stays here. I don't know what those monsters did to her… But she hasn't been the same since… She can barely look at me, much less talk to me.

"I can tell that she's forcing herself when she talks to me and it hurts… I can tell it's not because she's angry at me. She just… Something changed her… And she won't talk about it with me. I wish she would trust me. I-I know I've done nothing to deserve her trust, but I just want her to be happy again." It was Eddie's turn to scoff now.

"You've done everything to deserve her trust. You're the best little brother I've ever met. You would do anything for Sam. You stood up to boys three times your size to protect her. If she can't trust you, who can she trust?" Eddie demanded. Simon sighed, nodding.

"Okay… This is really good pizza. I've never been to this place before."

"Yeah… They have great pizza. We come here almost every week after LARPing. They know us by heart. They usually have our order already in the ovens by the time we get here. Sometimes they don't though. Still… What's up?" He asked.

"What is it you said you have? You know, your eyes." Simon said.

"Oh! Heterochromia. One eye is a different color from the other. One eye is blue and one is green." They kept talking for almost an hour before Eddie's parents came to pick the two of them up.

"So… Simon." Mrs. Burns said. "I hear you're moving. Is that true?" She asked. Simon nodded.

"Yes, Mrs. Burns. We're gonna be moving North on Saturday. My friends've set up a day for me with each of them before I move. I went to martial arts with Nori yesterday. Today, I did LARPing with Eddie. Tomorrow… Who knows? It's a surprise." Simon said. The woman nodded.

"I hope you keep in contact with all of us, Son." Mr. Burns said. Simon nodded again.  
"FaceTime… It's a great thing. I hope that we can still all be friends, even when I'm five hours away from all of you… It… It will seem like a whole world away to me, but…"

"Nonsense." Mr. Burns said brightly.

"We'll bring the kids to see you sometimes. Maybe not every week, but often enough that you don't lose contact with them. And you can introduce them to any new friends you make. You're a natural leader. I'm sure that you'll make lots of friends when you get where you're going… Where are you moving?"

"Oh, a place called Royal Woods. It's a suburb in Michigan."

"Oh! The Cassagrandes have some relatives that live there. Honey… What was the mother's name again?" Mr. Burns asked. Mrs. Burns thought for a minute.

"Ohh… Just a second… Maria. She and her husband, Roberto have two children. Bobby and Ronalda. Ronnie Anne is only a year older than you.

"I'm sure you'll meet her when you get there." Mr. Burns said. Simon sighed.

"I don't really want to make new friends, though… I like my old friends."

"I know, sweetie… But you know… You're not losing your current friends." Mrs. Burns said.

"You can still chat with them every night if you want to, and catch up on how they're doing.

"And maybe you'll be with them again… Sooner than you think. It's a small world, right?"

"Th-that's what Mom and Dad keep telling me. I-I don't know though. Five hours seems like a really long way away." Simon said. Mr. and Mrs. Burns nodded.

"Yes… I would've said the same thing when I was your age." Mr. Burns said.

"In fact, I used to live in San Diego. Then my Dad got a new job in Maine. We had to pack up and move all the way across the country. And Maine couldn't possibly have been more different from San Diego. Warm weather was replaced by cold. Sandy beaches were replaced by rocky ones. Mild winters were replaced by frigid winters and lukewarm summers.

"I adjusted, though. And then when I left home to go to college, I moved to Ohio and I met my first wife. And I stayed here. It's awfully different from California. But there's a certain charm to living here. Well, here's your stop, Simon. I wish you all the best in Royal Woods." Mr. Burns said.

Simon sighed, getting out of the car. Nobody seemed to understand that he was being forced to leave his whole world behind. And where he only felt love and adoration for Sam before, a strange new sensation was beginning to arise whenever he looked at her. He didn't know what it was and he didn't like it. It was dark and cold and tasted awful. It made his stomach turn just thinking about it. He loved Sam, but whatever this new sensation was, it wasn't love.

He always got angry when he felt it, and he wanted to yell at Sam and as her why she had to be such a screwup. Why did she have to ruin his life like this? He held it back because he knew it wasn't her fault. It was his. As he walked in, Sam glanced at him, then her eyes darted away, and he felt that same cold, dark sensation filling his stomach and he didn't bother saying hello to her. He just went straight up to his room and started on his homework.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Simon sighed as he went to his locker, cleaning it out a bit. He cleaned it out a bit every day now. It was bittersweet to do it. He knew he was making less work for himself on the last day, but reminding himself every day that he was moving was painful. He stuffed papers and folders into his backpack. He was almost done. It was only the third day, but he felt tired.

But in another way, he was kept awake by excitement and curiosity about who would be taking him out today. None of his friends gave him a clue, since they all said they wanted it to be a surprise for him. In a way, he wished the person wouldn't show up. He was concerned about Sam. She was less and less with it. Their parents couldn't even make her get out of bed in the morning. They could talk to her until the cows came home, but far from even making up an excuse, she wouldn't even acknowledge them.

Not that they were entirely disappointed. They didn't really think that school was the safest place for her at the moment, and since she wasn't going to school anyway, there wasn't much need for her to get out of bed. It was just that they wished they could talk to her, that she would talk to them and let them help her. She was slipping into a pit of despair, they said, and everyone was worried about her.

Simon sighed, zipping his backpack and moving out to the exit, where he would meet whoever was taking him out today. Yawning, he reclined against the brick pillar that marked the entrance within the fence. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw that Amelia was there.

"Hey, Simon… I-I was sort of hoping to have you on the last night. But we did rock-paper-scissors and I got you tonight. You've been tired all day, haven't you? Are you alright?" Amelia asked softly, putting a hand up to Simon's forehead, looking him in the eyes. He blushed slightly.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." He lied. She narrowed her eyes.

"You don't need to lie to me, Simon. I want you to tell me the truth." She said softly. Simon sighed miserably, feeling like he was about to cry.  
"Sammy hasn't been doing well lately. Every day, she seems to be worse, and she won't even let anyone help her. Sometimes, she just sits there, staring at nothing and she won't even talk to anyone or even look at them. I'm worried about her.

"But… This is your evening. I shouldn't be bothering you with my family's misery." Simon said.

"You're not bothering me. I want you to share with me." She said.

"Oh… Well, what did you want to do with me?" Simon asked, blushing slightly, changing the subject.

"Well… To be honest, it's surprisingly warm for March. I kind of wanted to go to the park today and just walk around.

"And I wanted to introduce you to my mom and dad." Simon gasped, causing Amelia to laugh.

"It's alright. I've described you to them, and they like you already." Amelia said. She didn't mention that her half-brother didn't seem to care for Simon. Simon smiled.

"I'd l-love to meet them." He said. The two left school and walked to the park, hand in hand. It was a beautiful day outside, and it was surprisingly warm. They were wearing their spring jackets.

Despite it being March, it was 55o outside, and it wasn't raining or windy. Simon smiled dreamily at Amelia. He couldn't believe how lucky he had been to get her. She smiled as well. He blushed slightly.

"Hey, A-Amelia… W-why did you agree to go out with me? I'm not the smartest, or the strongest, or the most handsome… And I have this ugly scar on my face. I-I'm not even a good brother…" Simon said. Amelia was shocked that Simon was crying.

Amelia brought him into a café, where they went to the back and could be alone.

"Simon… I'm sure you're a great brother. I'm sure you're every bit as caring about your sister as you are about your friends." Amelia said.

"You and Alric are really close, right?" She asked. Simon nodded.

"He's my best friend. We met in kindergarten." Simon said.

"He always covers up the right side of his face… Is…"  
"That's none of your business." Simon said, his tone harsher than he had meant it to be. He gasped, shaking his head.

"I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to yell at you." He said.

"It's alright. I admire how loyal you are to him. So… I was planning on going through the park. Just take a walk. Is that alright with you, Simon?" Amelia asked. Simon nodded.

"Yeah… I'd like that." Simon said. He leaned in toward her, blushing slightly.

"W-would it be wrong to ask if I could kiss you today?" He whispered. Amelia blushed as well.

"No… It wouldn't be wrong. I'd like that." She said. He didn't really know what he was doing. Sam and his parents both would probably tell him that's normal. He was eight after all. But he wanted to leave Amelia with a strong impression of him.

Looking back, this probably wasn't the best way to do it, especially since he would probably disappoint her because of how bad he was at kissing. He had seen movies where actors kissed. It was kind of gross how they did it. It looked like they were trying to suck each other's faces off. But… Maybe that was what girls wanted. He saw that they used their tongues. He wasn't even going to go there. That was just disgusting. He leaned in, though, gently stroking her cheek with the tips of his fingers.

He had seen all this in the movies. This was what he was supposed to do to impress his girlfriend. His lips lightly brushed against hers. Start slow. That was what the movies said he should do. Start with light brushes then go for longer. So he leaned in again, his fingers lacing with her and kissing her again, staying for longer. Amelia pushed him away, though.

"I-I'm sorry… D-did I… Did I do it wrong?" He asked. Amelia looked like she felt guilty. It just wasn't doing it for her. She enjoyed hanging out with him, holding hands with was nice. It let her feel close to him. But… Maybe it really was just because she was eight. She was attracted to Simon emotionally… But it was more like he was a good friend. She had other good friends that she felt similarly about.

Mostly she went out with Simon because he asked. It wasn't anything Simon had done wrong. Maybe she was the weird one. Maybe she was gay like Simon's sister. 10% of the population, he had said. That was about 700 million people in the world. Maybe she was one of them… Or maybe she wasn't attracted to anyone, boy or girl? What if she was incapable of falling in love? What if she never got married and had children? Wasn't that what her parents wanted for her?

"N-no… I-it's not you… I-I don't know…"

"I-I did do something wrong… I'm sorry…" Simon said, looking like he was about to cry. Amelia shook her head, gently cupping his cheek. Kissing didn't do anything for her. But clearly Simon needed affirmation. She had sensed that Simon was delicate when she saw him that day. But she still pushed him away because she didn't want to lead him on.

He needed affirmation though. If this was how she could affirm him, maybe it wasn't so bad. Their lips touched tentatively, pulling away, Simon blushing nervously and leaning back in and kissing her again. Amelia was blushing as well. This was totally different. The feelings she was experiencing from Simon were bursting in her mind. The attraction he felt for her, the desire to impress her. All of his emotions were so pure and loving.

Sam had done an amazing job of raising Simon. He was a natural leader, he was strong, smart and charismatic. But he didn't let it go to his head. He was humble and he never treated his friends, who he was the almost undisputed leader of, like lapdogs. She admired that in him. And feeling his emotions rushing through her mind was something she wished she had let happen the first time. As she pulled away, she was blushing deeply.

Simon smiled.

"Did… Did I do better this time?" He asked. She breathed slowly.

"Yeah… That… That was amazing." She whispered. Simon's idea of deep kissing was staring into Amelia's eyes when he kissed her and holding her hand. He didn't have any concept of why using his tongue was important and frankly, it seemed gross and dangerous.

What if his partner bit him while they were kissing? It just didn't seem practical. The two took each other's hands again and went out of the café, heading towards the park. There was a nice, cool breeze blowing through their hair. Simon's was blowing around since he hadn't gotten it cut in a while. His hair was getting shaggy and needed a good trim.

"You need a haircut." Amelia said, gently brushing Simon's hair back and tying it back with a hair tie that she carried around. It was fresh. She always kept a few on her, and at least one was usually fresh.

"Th-thanks." Simon said, heading into the park with Amelia, breathing the fresh air. It was still March, almost April, but it was nice and warm. The two sat down under a tree, Simon wrapping his arms around Amelia, holding her close.

"I love you, Amelia…" Simon sighed, just sitting there with her. Amelia smiled wistfully.  
"I love you too, Simon." She said. She didn't know if she meant that. She definitely liked him. He was more than just a friend for her. He was special. But her ability to feel romantically attracted to him seemed… Oddly not there. She tried.

Their kiss was special, but primarily because she had let his emotions flood into her like she had. She had never felt as close to anyone but her own family as she felt to Simon… But it just didn't feel what she perceived to be romantic. She wondered if she was unintentionally leading him on.

"Hey… Simon…" Amelia asked nervously. Simon looked at her.

His complete attention was on her. That was what she liked most about him. He never pretended to listen, He also never tried to multitask when he was listening to someone. His attention was either completely on someone or it wasn't on them at all. And you always knew. If he was on his phone, it was best not to talk, since you'd be wasting your time. But while he was on dates with her, he never touched his phone.

She had seen how when his friends were talking to him, they always had his full attention. He never insulted them by only giving them half his time. That was something really special about Simon. He also didn't judge. She had seen how forgiving he could be. The bullies who had made fun of him for wearing blue nail polish kept teasing him for almost a month after that.

Eventually, they apologized though. And Amelia was wondering what would happen. Would he tell them to go screw themselves? Would he tell them that they didn't deserve his forgiveness? He didn't do either of those things. He forgave them. He shook their hands. They were hardly friends after that. They had been too mean to him for that to happen. But he genuinely didn't seem to hold any grudge against them.

"I… What would you say if I told you that… I-I don't feel any romantic feelings for you…" Amelia asked, blushing. She looked like she was about to cry, like she felt ashamed of herself.

"What do you mean?" Simon asked. He sounded interested. He wasn't judging her, he wasn't angry. He wanted to know more about how she felt.

"I like you, Simon… I really do… As more than just a friend… But I just don't know if I… Love you in quite the same way that you love me. I-I just needed to tell you that… I-I understand if you don't want to stay with me…" Amelia said. Simon smiled, hugging her.

"Of course I still want to be with you. Amelia… I like you. Kissing you felt really good, but… If that's not your thing, I understand.

"I've also been known to enjoy playing video games and playing Frisbee and holding hands and eating ice cream." Simon said with a confident laugh. That was another thing. Simon was so confident. He knew exactly who he was and he didn't let anyone tell him he wasn't. She smiled at him. He loved how her eyes looked when she smiled. Her hazel eyes seemed to have a certain light behind them that sparkled when she smiled.

"I'll look forward to doing those things on a date with you when I visit you in Royal Woods." She said sweetly.

"And it isn't that I have a problem with kissing. I enjoyed my kiss with you because I could feel how much you enjoyed it. I… I know this is gonna sound weird, but I can feel other people's emotions and feelings." Amelia said.

"What? Like a psychic?" Simon asked naively. Amelia laughed slightly.

"Not exactly. I'm an empathy. I can experience others' emotions as my own. It was a bit annoying for a while in a city. But I learned to control it, let the emotions wash over me like water over a rock rather than let them bombard me. It's hard to explain. I promise, I can't read your mind." Amelia said. Simon nodded.

"Actually, that's kind of cool. So when we were kissing, you felt everything I felt?" Simon asked, blushing slightly. Amelia nodded.

"It was sweet. You're so honest and kind… I could feel how much you cared about me." Simon looked at his watch, taking Amelia's hand and helping her up.  
"I wanna show you something special." He whispered, running with her behind him. Amelia was much slower than Simon though, and eventually he wrenched her arm by accident. He heard her cry out and stopped.

"I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" He asked, looking at her arm. She nodded.

"I'm a quick healer. I just can't run as fast as you." She said. He nodded.  
"That's alright. It's right down the street." Simon said, joining hands with her and walking over to the church, where he spoke to the head priest there.

"Simon, I'm… I'm not really religious you know… I'm not sure I'm welcome here." Amelia said uncomfortably. The priest smiled at her.

"Everyone is welcome here. Whether you're Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Atheist or something else, everyone is welcome in the house of God."

"Amelia, this is Reverent Stefan… We're… My family's not super religious. We mostly go to church on Christmas, Easter, holidays like that, and sometimes on Sundays. But Stefan is always really cool to us." Simon said. "Do you think we could borrow the tower for a little while? I want to show Amelia the sunset from the tower." Stefan smiled.

"I'd love for her to see that. I sit up there all the time and watch the sunrise and sunset. It's truly one of the most beautiful wonders of the world." He said.

"Just lock up after you're done and leave the key on the alter." Stefan said. Simon nodded, taking Amelia up a seemingly endless series of stairs. By the time Amelia and Simon got up, Amelia was gasping for breath.

"It's alright, Amelia. Just take your time… We've still got ten minutes until the sun starts going down." Simon said, checking his cell phone's weather app. She nodded, putting her arms behind her head and taking long, deep breaths. Her mother had told her that was a good way to catch your breath, since it forced your lungs to expand slightly. After about 30 seconds, she had caught her breath and Simon unlocked the door to the bell tower.

"This is my favorite spot in the whole city." Simon said. "We were gonna watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July one year, but we couldn't see because everyone was in our way. So she took me here and we sat up in the bell tower with Reverend Stefan… He jokes that his name doesn't really roll off the tongue. But we sat up here with him and we watched the fireworks. It was breathtaking." Simon said, wrapping his arm around Amelia's waist.

Amelia sighed happily, leaning her head on Simon's shoulder. Slowly, the sun began to set. Simon had been right. This was the perfect spot. She could feel a sense of peace overcoming Simon… He had been feeling a nagging sense of anxiety all week. But now, here with her, he was feeling much calmer. Just sitting here in a bell tower, watching the sunset, she looked over at him and saw that he was crying. They were tears of joy, though.

Amelia wiped his tears away, gently cupping his cheek and kissing him, enjoying the feelings of surprise and happiness that flowed into her. They were lighter this time. The feelings weren't so overwhelming. She still felt an incredible sense of attraction and love coming from Simon, and it really pulled her into the mood more than any kiss ever could for her.

As they finished watching the sun go down, she called her parents, who drove over to the church and picked Amelia and Simon up. The two of them waited outside until her parents got there, then they got into a Tesla Electric Car. Clearly, Mr. and Mrs. Evans were very environmentally conscious.

"Hello, Simon. My name is Leopold Evans… But you can call me Leo if it's easier to remember. My parents had an old fashioned idea of what a good name is." He laughed.

"And I'm Sylvia. It's a pleasure to meet you, Simon… And this is my son, Dylan…"

"He doesn't look much like his father."

"He's… My son from my first marriage." Sylvia said. Simon smiled at Dylan, who growled back at the blonde Sharp. Simon raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, Simon… My son is overprotective of Amelia. He's been watching over her for years as she learned to control her empathic abilities. They're close, but I'm afraid that he's shown some hostility towards male friends of hers. I am sorry."

"Don't apologize for me! You shouldn't trust Sharp!" Dylan said intensely. Simon said nothing, knowing that he couldn't change Dylan's mind with words. As they pulled up to Amelia's home, Simon let Amelia go in first, taking off his shoes as he got inside. Dinner was ready, so they sat down and took some food. Simon smiled, looking at Dylan.

"So… You're what? 20?" Simon asked. Dylan glowered at him.

"Nineteen." He said.

"So, you're in college?" Simon asked. Dylan nodded. Sylvia scowled at him.

"Come on, Dylan. Be polite. Simon's making an effort. Remember the last friend of Amelia's that you scared off? He didn't even try to make friends with you."

"Yeah… I'm in the biochemistry school at Ohio State. I'm not really good at social sciences like dad is. I take more after mom. Amelia's better at history and English. You should see her poetry and short stories. She's good. But I'm gonna get a PhD in biochemistry and hopefully a minor in physics. I can calculate vectors like that." He said, snapping his fingers. "I never had a mind for memorizing dates though."

"I'm alright at history." Simon said.  
"Science was never my strong point. I'm not sure what biochemistry is, but it sounds like science." Dylan chuckled lightly. Simon had such a charismatic way about him. He could see why Amelia liked him. He wasn't ready to let his guard down, though.

"This is really good, Mrs. Evans." Simon said. "Sammy likes to cook too… She's not great at making deserts or any kind of baking… But she can cook."

"Oh, thank you, Simon." Sylvia said. Simon could see Amelia in Sylvia. She was almost the spitting image. She had evidence of her father in her too, Amelia did. Her eyes were the same color and shape as her father's eyes.

"So… When did you and Amelia meet?" Leopold asked, all business now. Simon could tell Leopold wasn't entirely sold on Simon yet either.

"Well… When I was six, Sammy helped me paint my nails a powder blue color. I always liked Sammy's nails, so when I asked, she helped me.

"Some kids were making fun of me, and Amelia stood up for me. I guess I fell for her then, and we became friends after that. I guess we didn't really become close friends until the middle of or late last year. I really appreciated that Amelia stood up for me. I have friends who would, but it was nice that someone I barely knew at the time was willing to stand up for me. Amelia is really sweet and… And pretty… And she's got great fashion sense.

"I've never met anyone quite like her, and my friends like her. My friends are important to me, so I'm glad that my friends like her." Simon said. Leopold smiled. Simon really did seem quite genuine, like he didn't have an insincere bone in his body. Even Dylan was taken off-guard by how sincere Simon seemed. Amelia had talked a lot about Simon, saying how he was pretty much the leader of his group of friends, and how charming and handsome he was.

But they never knew just how modest he was.

"So, Simon… What's your favorite subject in school?" Sylvia asked. Simon smiled.

"Probably English… Maybe History. I did a presentation in second grade, a re-enactment of Telltale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe. Alric, Eddie, Jimmy, Nori and me put the whole thing together and recorded it, then played it for the class."

"Very impressive. Telltale Heart. That's a very advanced story to be re-enacting as a second grader." Leopold said. Simon nodded.

"Eddie is an amazing producer. He's super into classic films and Jimmy is a great actor and singer. Between the two of them and to a lesser extent, us, we put on a pretty good play." Simon said.

They finished dinner, and Dylan said that he would drive Simon home. He wanted to talk more to Simon. Sylvia and Leopold both warned him to be nice to Simon. He nodded and got in the car, with Simon hugging Amelia, not feeling comfortable kissing her in front of her parents, and getting his shoes on, getting in the car as well.

"So, Simon… I have to say, you're the first boy that Amelia's invited over that I've gotten to like… I hope you know that you'd better treat her like she deserves to be treated." Dylan said. Simon nodded.

"Of course… I'm uhh… I'm moving. We're leaving on Saturday." Simon said. Dylan nodded.

"I see. So does that mean you're breaking up with Amelia?" He asked. Simon shook his head.

"No. We're just gonna be long distance. I dunno how often we'll get to see each other, but when we do, we'll go on dates in person. But otherwise, we'll talk over FaceTime." Simon said. Dylan nodded. He didn't know of any long distance relationships that actually worked, especially between eight year olds. But he wished them luck. He wasn't entirely sold on Simon, but he could tell that Simon at least deserved a chance. He had never met any guy who was friends with Amelia that he would say that about.

Simon was different. He had a strong personality, he was confident and charming, handsome and intelligent. But he wasn't arrogant or mean spirited. They pulled up to Simon's home and Simon got out.

"It was good meeting you, Dylan. I hope to see you again before I move." The young Sharp said. Dylan nodded, and waited for him to get into the brownstone before he drove away.

"Hey, Sammy." Simon said, feeling that same strange feeling that he didn't quite understand. Sam just stared at him, not saying anything. Some nights she was like this, now. She didn't seem hostile. If he were to sit down and talk to her, she would look at him and listen, but she wouldn't respond. An occasional "mm" of acknowledgement was the most he could hope for out of her at times like this. He felt bad that he didn't know how to help her. But in another way, he was annoyed that she wasn't responding to him.

He had almost died for her. He could have died that day. He was beaten to within an inch of his life, and he would do it again in a heartbeat. His love for Sam couldn't be measured. She was more than a sister, more than a mother to him. She was his whole world. So why did he feel so angry when he looked at her? He couldn't talk to Amanda or Erik about it. They didn't understand. They couldn't possibly understand.

What would they know about how confused he felt? He sighed.

"I love you, Sammy." He said, his heart not quite feeling what he was saying. Sam nodded, still just staring into space. He had asked Amanda about what was wrong with Sam. She had said that sometimes when people experience something traumatic like Sam did, they occasionally space out, that he just needed to let her come back to earth on her own.

He went up to the bathroom, brushed his teeth and got into his pajamas. He went to bed, but was surprised to find that he was crying. He didn't know why. He knew he was upset about Sam and about moving. But nothing that would make him cry… Or would it? He just wished that things made sense again. He wished that he was back in a time when it was just him and Sammy and everything was alright and Sammy wasn't so miserable and scared and he wasn't confused about whether he even loved Sam anymore.

Finally, he went to sleep, tossing and turning most of the night with confusing dreams about a shadow that flitted around the corners of his vision, but never made itself quite visible. It sometimes said things like 'you hate Sam, don't you?', or 'you betrayed her. You failed her.' Sometimes, it told him that he was a loser, that Sam deserved a better brother than him.

It wasn't ever all said at once. It was just soft echoes that he could barely hear, and yet, it was all he could do to try to ignore it. By the time he woke up the next day, he was wracked with shivers. He felt sicker than he ever had when he had a cold or the flu. He wasn't ready to go to school, but Amanda took his temperature and told him he wasn't sick, that maybe he was just anxious about the move. He still couldn't skip school, though.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Simon sighed as he trudged to his locker, stuffing his backpack with more of his papers. He was going to finish emptying his locker by Friday. It was already Thursday. But he was so tired. Between not being able to sleep well the previous night and being so worried about Sam and being torn between his love for her and strange, sick feelings that he didn't want to face. Noriko was leaning on his locker when he got there. She immediately enfolded him in a hug.

"Simon… You're not okay. You know, just because we've arranged these dates doesn't mean you have to show up. Go home. Get some rest. Take it easy. We're getting our parents to take us over to your house one last time on Saturday anyway. I'm sure whoever is your date today will understand." Noriko said gently, looking genuinely worried about Simon. Simon sighed, pushing Noriko off of him.

"It's *YAWWWWNNNNNN!* It's alright. I'm fine…" Simon said.

He couldn't stop thinking about his conversation with Sam earlier… It hadn't really been so much of a conversation. It had been more Sam screaming at him and berating him and Simon crying and telling her he hated her.

" _S-Sammy…" Simon said, looking pleadingly at Sam, who hadn't even looked at him, much less said anything to him since Monday, continued to ignore him. She wasn't just staring off into space this time, though. She was deliberately ignoring him. He could see her face furrowed in concentration. She looked angry. "Sammy! Please! Talk to me!" Simon begged._

" _Just let me know you're alright!" He pleaded. Sam twitched momentarily, her breath hitching at the word 'alright'. But then, back to ignoring him. She didn't say anything. He had to get to school. Still, he wanted to at least talk to Sam for a few minutes. He felt tears pricking the corners of his eyes._

" _Sammy! Please! Please! Just talk to me!" He cried. Finally, Sam seemed to snap._

" _Shut the fuck up!" She yelled, drawing Erik's and Amanda's attention as well. Sam went from curled up on her bed to towering over Simon in a matter of seconds. It was so fast that Simon fell over, trembling at Sam's anger. He had never seen her like this before._

" _What on earth would make you think I want to talk to you!" She demanded. Amanda gasped. She had run upstairs to see what was going on._

 _Sam yelling. Sam cursing. Two things that, the number of times they happened could be counted on one hand… Maybe two if you had a really good memory for small situations._

" _S-Sammy… I-I'm sorry… I-I didn't mean t…"  
"Shut up! Shut. Up. You little freak!" She screamed, her face red with rage, tears streaming down her cheeks as well._

 _The tears were what made this so confusing. She was angry, but her shoulders were trembling like she was crying, like she was trying desperately to keep herself together._

" _I-I just want to…" *SLAP!*_

 _A loud crack resonated through the house. Everything went silent. Erik and Amanda had both just seen Sam slap Simon across the face._

" _Get out of my room, you worthless little piece of shit! You make me sick!" She hissed through gritted teeth. Simon was terrified. Sam had never raised a hand to him. Sam would never hit him. She especially would never talk to him like that._

 _This had to be a nightmare… Just another nightmare… He hated them, but at least he knew they weren't real. They hurt, hearing Sam talk to him like that… But they were just dreams, right? He pinched himself._

" _Just dreaming. Just dreaming. Just dreaming…" He kept saying, over and over again like a mantra that would keep this from being real._

" _GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" She screamed through her tears. He looked at her, his lip trembling with a combination of fear, overwhelming sadness and rage._

" _I hate you!" His voice trembled with confusing emotions that he never wanted to feel._

" _Good!" Sam yelled. "Because I hate you too! Now get out you piece of shit!" She screamed, stomping at his heels once as he fled her room._

"Hey… Alric…" Simon said. Alric noticed almost immediately that something was off. He couldn't specifically point it out. But there was something.

"Hey… Adalwin…" Simon muttered, unable to look Alric's older brother in the eye. Adalwin smiled, though. He had never seen Simon look so shy. But he had a fun evening planned.

"Hey, little bro. You're a bit later than I expected, but no worries. Oh, this is Julie… She's a friend of mine, and we're teammates today. She's better at sports than I am. Watch out, dude." Adalwin laughed. Julie laughed as well, shoving Adalwin playfully.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Simon asked. The two looked at each other for a moment.

"Sort of… Not really. We don't have anything formal." Adalwin said shaking his hand.

"It's hard to explain. We've been friends since we were about 6, Simon. Now… We're sort of dating… But we don't call it that." Julie said.

"Oh, you know Ada, right, Simon?" Adalwin asked. Simon nodded.

"Of course. Hey, Ada." Simon said. Ada blushed slightly, smiling shyly at him.

"She said she wanted to join us to say goodbye to you. She wouldn't hear no for an answer." Adalwin said. Simon smiled.

"Glad t-to have you."

"You look sick, Simon." She said gently. Simon shook his head.

"I'm just a little bit tired. I'll be fine, I promise." He said. "So, where's your third?" Simon asked.

"Should be pulling up any minute… Ah! There he is! This is my big brother, Julian." Julie said

"Oh! And here's Nori… She and I are on our first date tonight." Alric said, raising and dropping his eyebrows at Simon.

"Really? Th-that's great! I had hoped I could see you two together before I left." Simon said happily. Noriko hopped into the van.

"Let's see… Adalwin… Julie, Alric, Ada and Simon… Noriko… Romulus and Remus." Julie said. Simon raised an eyebrow.

"Romulus and Remus? Those aren't their real names, are they?" He asked.

"No, little buddy. My name is Robbie, and he's Reggie. We're brothers. Romulus and Remus were the twins who founded Rome. We're twins." Robbie said.

"So what? Adults vs. kids?" Reggie asked

"That's right. It's gonna be Robbie, Reggie, Julie, and me vs. Alric, Simon, Nori and Ada. You alright, little bro? You're not lookin' so hot." Adalwin said to Simon.

Simon sighed, nodding.

"I-I'll be fine. I'm just a bit tired." He repeated the lie, hoping that if he told it enough times, it would become true. Adalwin raised an eyebrow.

"How's Sam doing?" He asked. Simon growled angrily.  
"I don't want to talk about her!" He snapped.

"O-okay… Well… We're just about there. Have you ever played Airsoft before, Simon?" Adalwin asked. Simon nodded.

"Yeah… Nori, Simon and some other kids invited me to play once." He said. Adalwin smiled.

"Good… We could rent some basic supplies from the airsoft place itself. But they're not the best quality. I tend to keep my arsenal pretty up to date." Adalwin said.

"Adalwin likes to count cards. Keep it on the down low… Just like his sexuality." Robbie said. Adalwin laughed sheepishly at this.

"Shut up, man! These kids are eight!" Adalwin laughed. Simon didn't say anything. He knew what Robbie was getting at, and he resented that he would even joke about there being anything wrong with being gay. Alric, Ada and Noriko seemed to be in the dark.

"What is he talking about, Adalwin?" Ada asked sweetly. Adalwin rubbed Ada's head.

"Don't worry, Adelheid." Adalwin said. The young girl gasped. Adalwin never used her full name unless he was annoyed or distracted.  
"I-I'm sorry…" She whispered. Adalwin seemed to realize what he had called her.

"Ada… It's alright… I'm not angry… I'm just a bit distracted. Maybe you could get Simon to open up a bit?" He whispered to her. He knew how hard Simon tried to be strong. He knew that Simon would never willingly let his guard down, except maybe around Sam. But he could tell that Simon was having problems right now.

"Simon…" Ada said, putting on her sweetest, most innocent face. She had the sort of looks that right now were adorable and could make any parent melt for her and give in to almost anything she wanted, and in the future would probably do the same thing to boys and would make other girls mentally ill with jealousy. It was a good thing that Ada was so humble and honest. Simon looked at her. Chills went down her spine when she saw the look in his eyes.

"Y-yeah?" He asked.

"Are… Are you alright? You don't look good." She said, putting a hand up to his forehead, only to get it swatted away. Simon was about to tell her not to touch him. But he saw she looked like she was about to cry, and he changed his tune quickly.

"I'm sorry, Ada… I'm just… In… In a bad mood today. I'm… Not myself." He said vaguely.

"Did your Mommy get mad at you?" She asked.

"Sort of." He muttered. Sam was like his mother and his father and his sister all in one. She was one of the few people in the world that he would give up anything for. Another one was Alric.

"It'll be alright." She said gently, hugging Simon.

"I'm sure when you get home, your Mommy will talk to you, and you and her will make up."

"I'm fine." Simon said coldly. He had turned to stone again and Ada, as young as she was, knew that she wouldn't get anything else out of him.

They pulled into the Airsoft grounds. Adalwin paid for their tickets and brought in the guns and pellets, making sure all the guns were fully gassed up so they didn't need to reload in that sense. He gave them all face masks. One team had a masks with a blue star on it. The other had masks with a red star on them. That way, they could tell each other apart. It went without saying that they shouldn't ever aim for the face, though sometimes it happened accidentally.

"Alright. All of you take some guns. Take as many as you want. But remember, you have to carry them around, including the spare ammo and CO2 cartridges and whatnot. So go for quality rather than quantity. Okay, Simon. You're gonna go for dual wielding. I like it." Adalwin said reaffirmingly.

"Simon's always been pretty ambidextrous." Alric said. "He was born left-handed, but he learned to use his right hand since lefties are at a disadvantage in certain things."

"Wow. I'm super impressed." Adalwin said.

"Remember, though." Adalwin said. "These are my Tokyo Marui XDm-40s. They're really valuable. I know you'd never damage them on purpose, but I want you to promise that you'll be really careful with them. I may have won them in a card game, but that doesn't mean they can just be thrown around." Simon nodded. Adalwin handed him a rifle.

"You should still take at least one rifle. Maybe a small one. But it will give you pellets in the event that you run out for your pistols. This is an MP5. It has a pellet feed in it. It will feed a single pellet into the gun at a time. If one doesn't go in, shake it a little bit and it usually goes in just fine then." Adalwin said. Simon nodded, strapping the gun to his back.

The two teams got together and split up to their sides of the field and watched as the timer counted down from five and the alarm went to go. Simon and Alric went to one side and Noriko took Ada to the other side. Noriko whispered instructions to Ada, who had a rifle that could shoot long distances. Ada didn't have any medical conditions, but she wasn't very strong or fast. She preferred writing poetry and pressing flowers and other 'traditionally girly' things.

"Simon… Are you… Alright?" Alric asked. Something was off about Simon. He had repelled attacks on him and Simon. Usually, he and Simon were in perfect sync with each other. It was almost like the two boys could read each other's minds. But now, Simon was off. Alric was communicating what to do, and Simon just… Wasn't picking up. Simon occasionally shot at random sounds. Usually they were just animals. But for the most part, he just wasn't there that night.

Eventually, Adalwin and Julie made a pincer movement, closing in from either side of the two. Alric shot Julie in the chest. Simon was supposed to take Adalwin out. But he just didn't seem to care. He took off his guns and put them gently down on the ground. He may have been giving up, but that was no excuse to damage Adalwin's expensive guns. The rifle, which could have cost as much as 500 dollars, the pistols, which probably cost about 200 dollars each.

Simon walked out into the open, slowly, seeming like he had no will left to fight, He reached for his side, like he was pulling a gun. Adalwin went for his gun and was about to pull the trigger.

"Stop!" Alric shouted, running out, shoving Adalwin's gun out of the way. It went off and shot a bullet into the air.

"Guys! Stop!" Adalwin shouted, putting his gun down and having Noriko and Ada come out, helping Simon get to his feet and collecting his guns, setting them on lock and heading back inside to take a break. He get Simon a soda and something to eat and sat down next to him, asking him what had happened. He wasn't even responding anymore.

He just stared at his sandwich. He didn't even touch it, or his soda, just staring at the food and drink. He wasn't hungry and he wasn't thirsty. He just… He needed to be alone. He wanted to be with Sammy. He wanted to hear her voice telling him that she still loved him. He wanted to hear her say that she wasn't angry at him, that she forgave him. That as bad as what he did was, she could never stay angry at him. He just needed to know that he wasn't beyond redemption.

He was trembling as he sat there, not hearing what anyone was saying, not able to look anyone in the eye. His trembling started getting worse. Finally, a long, loud, ear piercing wail came out of Simon's mouth, and he collapsed in Alric's arms. For over an hour, he was sobbing uncontrollably. Alric tried to calm him down a few times, but it was no good. Simon was out of his mind with misery.

The group got back into the van and went to Alric's house, where they brought Simon to the couch, letting him lie down and at least be comfortable while Alric sat there on the table, listening with heartbroken empathy. Eventually, Adalwin took Alric's spot and Alric went off with Noriko.

"I'm worried about Simon. He's never been like this before. He's always so unbreakable. He's… He's… He always seemed perfect." Alric muttered.

Noriko sighed. Perfect. Nobody was perfect. But Simon was an incredible person.

"You know, nobody is without fear." Noriko said calmly. "But Simon is very brave. He and Sam have been through some really hard times lately. He hasn't said anything specific, but I suspect that's why they're moving." Noriko said. Noriko had a level of intelligence rarely seen in anyone, much less a child. Her brilliance was poorly applied to academics.

She was very smart and could quickly figure out puzzles that would take anyone else, even a very smart someone else almost twice as long to figure out. But most of her genius was better applied to athletics. She played various sports, but mostly did martial arts. Because of her quick thinking, she was easily able to outwit almost anyone in sparring, even if they were technically better than her.

Her IQ was already tested at 148, and the testers said it was likely to increase as she entered adolescence and her ability to think abstractly improved. Academics weren't her strong point. She got B's mostly in school, a few A-'s, especially in mathematics. But gym was where she really shone. Almost everything they did in gym was "her best sport".

It was sort of a joke amongst her friends to say "This is your best sport, right?" And she would always say "Yeah." Still, martial arts was undoubtedly her absolute best. Nothing else really compared to her passion for martial arts. That was another thing her friends playfully made fun of her for.

"Oh, an Asian is good at martial arts. That's something I've never seen before." And Noriko would laugh with them. It was something she was a bit self-effacing about herself.

"Do you… Do you think Simon is going to be alright?" Alric asked. Noriko sighed. She didn't know. Usually, she was pretty confident. But this time, she couldn't give him an honestly hopeful answer.

"I… I just don't know." Noriko muttered, tears filling her eyes as well. The two of them went back out to the living room and sat down with Simon, who seemed to have come around slightly.

"Simon… Do you know what Sam said to me once?" Adalwin asked. Simon shook his head.

"She said, 'Dwin, I really like you. You're a great friend, and you're a really nice guy and Simon really likes you. But I just don't see you that way." He said. Simon laughed weakly at Adalwin's joke. Simon knew that Adalwin had asked Sam out back when he was in eighth grade and she was in seventh. He knew Adalwin wasn't thinking of that particular moment.

But all the kids were laughing, so at least Adalwin had lightened the mood. So at least he had managed to make Simon smile, which was more than he'd been able to do all day.

"No, but seriously. You know, I owe you and Sam my relationship with Alric. You two helped bring our family back together. And one day, I was talking with Sam about how I was sure that Alric hated me.

"She brought up back when you were first born. You know, you were born premature, and your parents weren't even sure you would make it… Sam knelt by your incubator every day and prayed for you. She prayed to God that He would save you. I know Sam could never, ever hate you. I know she's in a dark place right now, and it's easier to lash out at other people than it is to keep all her pain and anger inside her.

"But I also know that when she comes out on the other end, she's gonna want you to be there to greet her. I'm sure she'll feel really bad about whatever she might have said to you. And I'm sure it will mean the world to her if you could tell her that you don't hold it against her, and you could show her that you're alright. I know you're not alright right now. But Sam loves you.

"She's loved you since the minute you were born." Adalwin said. Simon seemed much more hopeful now. He was a bit less pale and he wasn't shaking like he was earlier.

"Why don't we get you something to eat, then we can take you home. You should talk to Sam. I'm sure she's just as eager to make up as you are." Adalwin said, pulling out some pans and cooking up some pasta with various vegetables and meat in it.

He set it out for everyone and got some for himself.  
"Hey, Adalwin… Could you teach me how to count cards?" Simon asked. Adalwin laughed.

"I think I can. How fast are you at basic math?" Adalwin asked.

"I'm… Pretty good." Simon said.

"Alright. The count is 0. The dealer puts out a +1, a +0, a -1, a -1, a +1, a +0, a +1 and a +0. What's the count at now?" Adalwin asked.

"+1." Simon said adroitly. Adalwin smirked.

"Very good. Now, remember, the absolute highest the count can get in one game is +20. The absolute lowest is -20.

"Cards valued 2-6 are +1, 7-9 are +0, and 10-Ace are -1. It's a little more involved than just the numbers themselves. You have to learn what the numbers mean for the game. But you can learn all that on YouTube videos. Then after that, it's just a matter of practice." Adalwin said.

"Oh! I know how much you like playing Airsoft, and I'm sure there'll be people to play with where you're going, so here." He said, handing over the two pistols Simon had used that day.

Simon gasped, his eyes wide.

"But… But these are like, 250 dollars each!"

"Chump change for me. I can make 500 dollars in an evening counting cards. Trust me… Alric and I talked about it, and we decided to give these to you." Adalwin said. Simon smiled, hugging the two brothers.

"Listen, Simon…" Adalwin said, putting the guns and their carriers in Simon's hands again.

"I know you've admired these guns ever since you first saw them. I don't really use them. I bring them with me in case someone else needs them, but I'm more comfortable with my Glock 34s if I'm using pistols at all. I'm honestly more into rifles or maybe one pistol if I just want a sidearm.

"Which is why I'm giving these to you. I know you'll take good care of them. I know you'll actually use them the way they should be used. There's no greater insult for a guns as unique as these than to be used as a display item, displayed as a trophy in a cheap case. They're powerful, and they'll shoot far and accurately and they're very high quality.

"I know that you are the best person to have these. Plus, I've seen how good you are with dual pistols. You wield like Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop and Mr. Chang from Black Lagoon all rolled into one." Adalwin said. "That's why I know you're the right person to have these." Simon was almost in tears by the end of Adalwin's speech. He never knew Adalwin had so much faith in him.

The group finished their pasta and herded into the van. They took Simon back to his home and Alric walked up to the door with him, hugging him one last time.

"Look… I know we won't get to see each other as often after this. But we'll all come visit you. That, I promise. And whoever your friends are up there, I'm sure I'll make friends with them as well… And any enemies you make better watch out." Alric laughed.

Simon laughed as well.

"I have a joke for you. You play Dungeons and Dragons, right?" Simon asked. Alric nodded. He played with his brother, who was a GM for hire. Depending on how much a party could spare, he could make up to 70 dollars a session. He usually only charged like 40 dollars a month, though. He gauged the situation. To him, there was no point in gouging his clients, since they wouldn't be able to play for long if he did.

"Okay, so my friends and I were at a bar, and the barkeeper asked, 'why are you all in your armor and weapons?' The Bard said 'Mimics.' We laughed, the Barkeeper laughed, the table laughed. We killed the table. Good times were had by all." The two friends cracked up at this. Objectively, it wasn't all that funny. But they needed to laugh. Alric hugged Simon again and Simon went inside, seeming much better off.

"Hey, Sammy… Can we talk?" Simon asked.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

 _Sam gasped. She was back in that alleyway. It was cold. It was dark… It was dirty. She wasn't alone. As always, Saoirse was there. The young blonde shivered as she looked up at her._

" _Hey, *Sammy*." Saoirse said mockingly, smirking at her. She came up to Sam, putting her hands on Sam's cheeks. Suddenly, Sam felt a surge of agony course through her body, like electricity as Saoirse dug her fingernails into Sam._

" _You know, I've had a lot of fun playing with you these last few months. It's really been a pleasure getting to know you. I don't think I've ever met anyone quite as pathetic or disgusting." Saoirse said, her voice as sweet as ever, always smiling, always beautiful, but so, so terrifying._

" _However, I think it's high time we end this River Dance once and for all. Don't you think? I brought a friend to our final play date… Bring him out._

 _Sam gasped in horror as one of her minions brought Simon out. Simon was looking at Sam through one eye (the other was swollen shut), and grimacing through a mouth full of broken teeth and blood. He had clearly already been beaten in order to subdue him and it looked like he was limping._

" _You let Simon go, you fucking bitch!" Sam screamed. Saoirse scowled, nodding at her minions, who kicked Simon in the knee, dropping him to the ground, writhing in agony._

" _You see, Sammy… You're not the one in control here. I am. You thought you could get control back by killing yourself, but it was all ultimately part of my plan._

" _There's nowhere you can go, there's nothing you can do and nobody you can tell that can hide you from me. I will always be in control and nothing you ever do for the rest of your life will ever change that. That's why we're here today. Today, you're going to accept your fate and finish the job you did such a half-arsed job at the last time. I'm going to have Simon watch us finish you off, if you take my meaning… Then, we're going to make you watch us finish him off._

" _See what I did there? It's the same expression, but with a different connotation to it. Clever, right? Shut up." Saoirse said, when Sam was about to demand that she let Simon go._

" _Now, should we beat Simon down a little more? Sammy's actually still looking a little bit hopeful. I thought that night in the alley would beat all that out of her. It seems as long as Simon's in her life, she still has hope._

" _While I do admire that, it's not part of my plan. Boys… Why don't you show young Simon the ropes? Mm… Puns all around this evening. Yeah, just tie him up. Don't kill him just yet. Make sure it hurts though." Saoirse said as the brutes began beating, kicking and punching Simon everywhere they could hit._

 _Sam pleaded with them to leave Simon alone. They could kill her if that would make them happy. But just let Simon go. Saoirse seemed to think about it for a minute, then an evil smirk crossed her face.  
"Yes. I'll let him go. But first, give Simon the special treatment." Saoirse said. A young man who must have been seven feet tall knelt down, pulling down Simon's pants and then his own._

 _Sam cried out for him to stop. Simon pleaded with Sam to save him. He loved her, why was she betraying him like this? What did he do to her to make her hate him? These questions without answers kept surging through her mind until…_

Sam woke up screaming.

Sam trembled on the couch, remembering her dream the previous night. She had that dream over and over again. Almost every night, she was treated to a front row seat of Simon being tortured by Saoirse's thugs. Sometimes they broke every limb, including his fingers, one by one. Sometimes it was the dream she had last night. Sometimes they just beat and kicked him to death.

Every time, though, he pleaded for his life, he begged Sam to tell him what he had done to make her hate him, and every time by the end, he was looking at her with those soulless, accusing eyes, eyes that said without a word that he hated her, that she was nothing to him anymore. That was why, when she saw those eyes again, those eyes filled with fear and pain, she almost shrieked, pinching herself discreetly to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"Hey, Sammy? Can we talk?" He asked. For a moment, Simon was shocked by the look of pain and anger on Sam's face, like he had committed some great, personal wrong against her. He didn't understand. It had been the same look she had given him that morning when he tried to talk to her. Had she really just abandoned him? Had he finally failed her in such a spectacular way that she couldn't forgive him any longer? That had to be it.

"W-what is it?" Sam asked, sounding shockingly cold. Simon was silent for a long moment before he spoke again.

"S-Sammy… I… What's wrong? You… You were really mean to me this morning, and… And before that, you wouldn't even look at me since Monday.

"I-I know why we're moving, and I'm really trying t-to be a good brother… I'm trying to get on board with moving… But… Now that I'm moving, I won't have any friends in my new town, and I don't even know i-if you love me anymore…" Simon said, scared, miserable tears filling his eyes as Sam looked at him impassively. For a long moment, neither of them said anything.

Saoirse. She had threatened Simon… There was nowhere Sam could hide. Saoirse would find her and punish her for thinking she could escape. Saoirse would punish Sam by hurting Simon. Simon would eventually realize just how weak and pathetic she really was, Sam thought. It seemed an inevitability. But, she just wanted to pull Simon towards her and sit with him, cuddle with him like they did when they were younger and Simon had a bad dream.

She just wanted to hold Simon and promise him that she was there for him and that she would never abandon him, that she would _never_ stop loving him… She couldn't though. She needed to stay strong. She found her body shaking with the confusing emotions that were coursing through her. She couldn't just leave Simon hanging though.

"Listen, Simon… I-I love you… But… I-I…" She looked down and saw the heartbroken look on Simon's face. She couldn't do this anymore. I-I'm sorry… I-I can't!" Sam sobbed, turning away from Simon. Their conversation had been going well, then suddenly, she just turned to stone. Simon didn't understand.

"It's alright, Sammy… It's not your fault… I-I'm sorry I was such a bad brother." Simon said, hugging Sam tightly. Sam hugged him back, but the hug felt shockingly cold and impersonal.

"No… I just… I've been having nightmares. I-I don't know if I can trust anyone." Sam said, still refusing to look at Simon. "Saoirse… She's… She's rich… She's powerful. She could have you killed just to hurt me." Sam muttered, tears flowing down her cheeks. She pushed Simon off of her.

"Sammy… I promise… I'll be fine. If it comes to it, I'll run. I promise." Simon said. Sam shook her head.

"I'd like to believe you. But last time I told you to run, you kept fighting." Sam said.

"Can I… Can I sleep with you tonight, Sammy?" Simon asked. He hoped that maybe his Shadow wouldn't visit him if Sam was there to protect him. Sam thought for a moment. She wanted to. Maybe sleeping with Simon would help calm her down a bit. Maybe it would help her work some of her confusion out. But she couldn't risk it.

"No. Sleep in your own bed." She said.

"Are you… A-are you gonna go to bed soon?" He asked. Sam shrugged.

"I don't know. I haven't been sleeping well lately. Maybe being tired is the better choice." Sam said casually, pointing to the kitchen, where Amanda was waiting for Simon.

Simon was still confused the next day when he went to school. He hadn't had a fight with Sam, per se. But his talk with their mom afterwards was scary to say the least. They had talked about how Sam had been hurt in the alley that night. Once again, the question came up. What _actually_ happened? Amanda seemed hesitant to talk about it.

"I'll tell you when you're older. But something really bad happened to her. She's scared, and if it seems like she's pushing you away, it's probably because she thinks it's for your own good. Please try to be patient with her. I know it's hard, but we'll be moving soon and she'll probably feel more comfortable and you'll get to make new friends. There's a special surprise for you on Saturday before we move, though." She said.

Simon sighed and packed the last of his papers into his bag, heading to the gate, where Jimmy and all of his friends were waiting. Alric and Noriko were holding hands. They seemed happy together, and Simon just wished he could be as happy as they were.

"So… It's Jimmy's night. And instead of doing something just you and him, he decided to invite all of us to karaoke. We're gonna sing. We're gonna make assholes of ourselves, and we're gonna love it."

Noriko laughed after she said this. The rest of the group seemed to pick up on her laughter. Even Simon laughed a bit. Alric was the first to pick up that Simon still wasn't feeling well. He sat down, pulling Simon down into a sitting position as well.

"What's wrong, Simon?" Alric asked. Simon shook his head.

"I don't know. My whole life is so confusing, and now it feels like Sammy doesn't even love me anymore. She barely talks to me and yesterday, she got really mad at me… And even now… She's… She's not angry anymore, but she's so… You know… It's like you can see someone, but you can't feel them anymore. She won't even touch me or talk to me anymore."

"She's gone cold." Amelia said, causing the whole group to look at her.

"It's like when someone is there physically, but emotionally, they've checked out." Amelia clarified. The group nodded.

"And I don't know why! I'm trying to be there for her! I'm trying to just get her to give me any reaction other than rage or nothing!

"WHY DOES SHE HATE ME! IT'S NOT MY FAULT THIS HAPPENED TO HER! IT'S NOT MY FAULT! IT'S HER FAULT! SHE DID THIS TO HERSELF SHE DID THIS TO ME! I HATE HER!" Simon screamed, gasping and clamping his hands over his mouth when he realized what he had said. He was shaking his head, trying to take back his words, even though he knew he couldn't.

A loud, agonized wail came out of Simon's mouth as he cried, collapsing in Alric's arms. He had been holding it in for so long. He had been trying to be strong for Sam. He wanted to support her. He wanted to be able to smile so he could see her smile, and hear her tell him she loved him… Even if it was just one time… He just needed to know that Sam would be there for him like he had tried to be there for her. How could she do this to him? How could she just abandon him when he had done everything for her?

"No… No, I failed her! I'm such a loser! I'm such a failure!" Simon sobbed. It was scary for Alric, for all of them to see Simon like this. They knew he was hurting. They knew he was having problems. But to see him looking so broken… He was the strongest of any of them. They gathered around him for a reason… he was their leader for a reason. He was the strong one. He was the confident one. He was the charismatic one. And now… Now he was nothing. Just a broken shell of what he used to be.

Amelia sat down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, only to be shoved away. Simon gripped Alric's shirt tighter. Amelia sighed, trying to take what had happened in stride. She always sensed a very deep bond between Alric and Simon. They said they were just 'best friends'. But Amelia knew there was something deeper, a spiritual connection that was difficult to quantify. She sat down, leaning back against the fence. Alric comforted Simon for almost an hour before he seemed to come around.

Finally, he looked up at Alric, hugging him again and standing up. He seemed to realize what he had done to Amelia as well, because he looked at her, shame clearly evident in his expression.

"It's alright, Simon." Amelia said. "I know how close you and Alric are." Simon nodded.

"You… Do we still have time to do karaoke tonight?" Simon asked. Jimmy nodded.

"Of course. It's Friday. None of us have anywhere to be, and my old man has a van that he can drop us all off at our respective homes in." The group headed for a cool little karaoke bar in midtown, each of the members putting in some money for food and drinks and reading through the song files on the computer. Simon was really impressed. They had so many different songs. When you looked at the full list, there were over 100,000 different songs, some dating back to the 30s and 40s.

Simon was given the option to take the first song. He looked at Amelia, who blushed slightly, seeming to sense that he wanted to sing a song with her.

"What song were you thinking?" Amelia asked. Simon pointed to Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. She had always liked that song.

She nodded and the two of them went up to the microphones and the song started. The two sang the song together, before heading back, just as the food was delivered to their room. Fries, chicken wings, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, soda, juice and water. Simon took some food. Eating always calmed him down. He sighed. He was still feeling wired, but being able to cry like that and just vent his worries had helped a lot. Alric had always been a great friend.

Amanda had told him that he could make new friends… But what friends could ever be as amazing as his friends here? Alric, Jimmy, Noriko, Eddie, Amelia… Who could ever be as good as they were? Who else could be the amazing friends that they had been? He sighed, sinking back into his depression, falling deeper and deeper as the evening went on until he was near tears again by the time they had to pack up and go out to Jimmy's father's car.

Finally arriving at Simon's house, Alric got out with him and looked him in the eye, brushing the hair out of his own face. Whenever Alric did that, Simon knew that he was being serious.

"Simon… I would move to this Royal Woods place with you if I could. You know I'd do anything for you, right?" Alric asked. He always felt close to Simon. They said they were best friends.

But neither Alric nor Simon knew any other best friends that had a bond like theirs. He felt a really powerful connection with Simon that he couldn't explain.

"I'm really gonna miss you, Simon… But you can call me any time. It doesn't matter how late it is. I'll always talk to you." Alric said. Simon nodded, smiling at Alric, hugging him tightly.

"I'll miss you too, Alric." Simon said. Life just won't be the same without you guys. My mom says I'll make friends quickly… But nobody could ever be as good a friend as you are… As any of my friends are. I know I'll probably see you again someday… But I feel so far away from you already. I haven't even left yet, but I feel so alone."

"You'll never be alone." Alric said. I always have my phone on. Don't hesitate to call me if you need to talk. Day or night, it doesn't matter." Simon nodded, hugging him one last time and heading into his home, seeing Sam sitting in the same place she had been sitting that morning, like she hadn't moved. She looked dead inside, like her soul had been destroyed.

Simon didn't even say hi to Sam as he came in. Why bother? She wouldn't answer him, and he had better things to do than try to talk to someone who hated him anyways. He went upstairs and got ready for bed, brushing his teeth, going to bed early, but finding it hard to fall asleep. When he did, those dreams kept plaguing him.

A strange dark form that taunted him and told him that everything was his fault, that of course Sam hated him. Why shouldn't she? He was such a stupid failure. He was a little fuck up that had wasted the first 13 years of Sam's life with his neediness and had now ruined the rest of her life with his incompetence.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

He woke up crying at 5 in the morning. His first instinct was to talk to Sam… But he knew that not only would she not care, she would probably kick him out of her room, screaming at him again. He sighed. He couldn't wake up Alric, no matter what Alric said about calling him any time… But Simon needed someone to talk to. Nobody else would want to talk to him this early. Alric would put up with him. But he'd probably secretly resent him.

Finally, he couldn't stand being alone any longer. He dialed Alric's number. It rang five times, and went to voicemail. But then, a tired voice slurred.

"Mmm-ello? Alric Johanssen speaking…" Came the murmured tone.

"Alric… It's Simon… I-I'm… S-sorry for c-calling you so-so early…" Alric seemed to perk up at Simon's voice.

"No, it's alright. Just let me go out to the common area. I don't wanna wake anyone up." Alric said, heading downstairs and sitting on the couch.

"What's wrong, Simon? You sound upset." Alric said gently.

"I-I just had a bad dream. It's n-no big deal." Alric shook his head.

"You seem really shaken up. Simon nodded, still trembling from his dream.

"I-I am…" Simon muttered. "I… I just had a bad dream." Simon repeated.

"Tell me about it. You called me. You must think I can help you. Tell me about the dream." Alric said, going to the kitchen to get something to eat.

"Well… I couldn't see anything… It was completely black and ice cold. Then there was this weird shadow in the corner of my eyes that kept whispering to me." Simon said. Alric nodded.

"What did it say?" Alric asked.

"It kept telling me what a failure I am, what a fuck up I am and how it's no wonder that Sammy hates me. I ruined her life by being born and I deserve her hatred."

Alric was silent for a moment. Simon was really falling apart.

"Simon… Listen to me. You've been my best friend since we were in kindergarten. Sam adores you. I've seen the way she talks to you. I've seen how she looks at you. She doesn't hate you and you didn't ruin her life and you aren't a fuck up. You're the best person I've ever met and you're going through a hard time right now.

"I promise you, I'll call you every night if you want me to once you move. We can talk and I can… I know I'm not as good with words as you, but I'll do my best to help you feel better if you need me to." Alric said. Simon smiled.

"Thanks, Al… You don't have to, though. I'm sure you'd much rather hang out with Nori after school. Alric smiled as well.

"Well, me and Nori will both call you then. We can have a three way." Amanda had picked up the phone from upstairs just about when Alric had suggested a 'three way'. It was obvious he had no idea of the implications of that, and Simon clearly didn't either, because Simon laughed.

"I'd like that." Simon replied. Amanda hung up, making sure he didn't hear the phone click. She was happy that Simon had such great friends.

"Well… You guys are getting a surprise before you leave. So I'm sure you'll feel much better by the time you're leaving for Michigan." Alric said. Simon nodded.

"I dunno if I can get back to sleep. But thanks for sitting up with me." The blonde Sharp muttered. Alric grinned.

"Of course! I told you, any time you need me, I'm here for you. Simon gasped, hearing a loud, wide yawn. Sam shuffled down the stairs, looking like she hadn't slept well.

"H-hey, Sammy…" Simon said nervously. After his dream, he just needed affirmation that Sam still loved him. She smiled weakly at him, grabbing some water and sitting down on the couch.

"Hey, Simon… You couldn't sleep either?" She asked. Simon felt tears filling his eyes. Her voice… It was like before, like nothing had ever happened between them. She was that same warm and gentle Sammy that she used to be. Maybe it wouldn't last, but he needed to have his Sammy back, at least for a little while.

"D-do… Do you mind if I sit with you?" He asked. Sam nodded. He rushed over, curling up next to Sam.

"Ummm… Simon?" Came a voice from the phone.

"Oh! Sorry, Alric… I… I have to go…" Simon said, seeming to regret that he had to hang up on his best friend. Alric shrugged.

"It's alright. I hope you and Sam feel better." He replied, hanging up. Simon hugged Sam tightly, closing his eyes and just letting her presence fill him. This had been what he missed more than anything else. Just the times that he and Sam just sat there and talked, or even just didn't say anything. Something was different though. He couldn't bring himself to say he loved her. He couldn't make himself say those three words to her. She looked down at him.

"Simon, I'm sorry I've been so cold lately. I-I just… You wouldn't understand, but I'm feeling pretty cold and lonely myself. I-I hope you can forgive me for not being here for you." She said, seeming to genuinely regret her behavior towards him. Simon nodded weakly, not saying anything, but just sitting with her, eventually falling back asleep in her arms.

"Sammy! Simon! Time to get up! We have to start getting ready to leave, and we have one more surprise for you at the door… Well, two more surprises." Amanda said. Sam yawned, helping Simon get up and then getting up herself.

"What's the first surprise?" Sam asked.

"I've been sober for three weeks now." Erik said. Sam tried to smile, but nothing seemed to make her happy anymore. The closest thing she had felt was sitting with Simon earlier that morning.

"Aren't you in a lot of pain, Dad?" Sam asked. Erik shrugged.

"My knee twinges a bit sometimes. But I'd rather be in pain than have to watch your lives go by in an alcoholic haze.

"You kids are the most important things in my world, and I'm sorry it took Sammy almost dying to make me realize that." He said, hugging Sam and Simon.

"And what's the second surprise?" Sam asked. Amanda opened the door. The two kids gasped. All their friends were there. Alric, Adalwin, Ada, Estelle, Luke and Bridget were there. Noriko, Eddie, Jimmy, and Amelia were there. A few of the parents were there as well. Luke, Bridget and Estelle hugged Sam.

"Sammy!" Simon said. Sam looked at Simon, holding up a finger to Luke, Estelle and Bridget.

"What's up, Simon?" Simon grinned.

"This is Amelia. Amelia, this is Sammy. Amelia smiled at Sam.

"I've heard a lot about you, Sam." She said, shaking Sam's hand. Sam nodded.

"Simon talks a lot about you as well." Sam said. "It's good to finally meet you." She added. Amelia nodded, sitting down with Sam.

Amelia looked at Sam sympathetically. She could tell Sam was suffering. She could sense that Sam was in pain and trying to hide it.

"Sam… You know Simon is always willing to talk to you if you need help, right?" Amelia asked. Sam nodded, but then shook her head.

"I can't. I can't burden Simon any more than I already have. I can't put him in danger because of my inadequacies." Sam said firmly. Amelia felt Sam's sadness, but knew she couldn't convince Sam that she was wrong, that she wasn't a burden. Amelia sighed.

"Alright." She said, getting up and heading over to Simon and talking with him and their other friends. Sam got up, going over to Luke, Estelle and Bridget. They greeted her again.

"Hey, Girl… It's great to see you again." Estelle said. Sam nodded, tears filling her eyes. Luke smiled sadly.

"I know it's too late, Sammy… But I'm so sorry we abandoned you like… Well, like we did." He muttered. Sam nodded.

"It's alright, Luke. You couldn't have known all this would happen. I'm gonna miss you guys." Sam said.

"Yeah… But our parents say they'll bring us up for visits in Royal Woods sometimes. It ain't gonna be like it used to be." Bridget said. "But I'm sure you'll make a lot of new friends, then we can be friends with them too.

"Maybe you'll even meet a girl that catches your eye." Bridget said, winking. Sam blushed.

"C'mon, Bridget… I haven't told Mom and Dad about that yet." She whispered urgently. Luke scratched his head, seeming confused.

"You haven't told your parents that you're a lesbian yet? Why not?" He asked gently. Sam turned a deeper red.

"I… My family just got back together… Dad's three weeks sober, Mom is coming home every night now in time for dinner… I-I don't want to ruin my family just because I'm a freak." The blonde haired girl said. Luke shook his head.

"You are not a freak, Sammy… You're a strong, beautiful woman. Whoever you end up with will be lucky to have you." He said, hugging Sam tightly. Sam smiled.

"Thanks, Luke… I'll have to tell them eventually. I'm just… N-not ready yet. Luke nodded, patting her on the shoulder.

"That's alright, Sammy… You'll tell them when you are ready. And I'm sure they'll love you just as much when you do." He said.

Meanwhile, Simon and his friends were sitting around, chatting animatedly.

"Hey! Simon! Guess what!" Alric asked, seeming really excited. Simon smiled.

"What's up, Alric?" Simon asked. He and Noriko grinned.  
"Nori and I are going steady now. We've been dating for over two weeks!" Alric said. Simon smiled as well, hugging the two of them.

"That's great! I'm really happy for you!" He said cheerfully, hugging Alric. Noriko hurried in and hugged the two of them as well, holding the two boys close to her. They were the two best guys in the world to her. Simon, who had brought them all together and Alric who had always been really sweet to her.

The three chatted for a little while until Adalwin interrupted. He sat down with Simon, pulling out a deck of cards and showing it to him.

"So, Simon… How're ya doing with counting cards?" Adalwin asked, shuffling the deck expertly. "Let's see where you are." He said, taking out an Ace, a 5, a 9, a Jack, a 10, a 2 and a 4.

"What's the count, Little Bro?" He asked.

"+1." Simon said. Adalwin smiled.

"Good. You're a fast learner. Hey guys… Wanna help me test Simon's skills in real time?" Adalwin asked. Everyone nodded. Adalwin put a card in front of everyone, then a second card.

"Alright… You have two seconds. What's the count?" Adalwin asked. Simon looked around, calculating.

"+3." Adalwin smirked.

"Good…" Alric's older brother said. Simon smiled proudly.

"You're a fast learner." Adalwin said.

"So, remember… Those guns are valuable… I forgot to give you these. Protective cases for the guns. That way, if you drop them while carrying them around in the cases, you won't break them." Adalwin said. Simon gasped. Adalwin was really trusting him with a lot.

"Thank you." Simon said. Alric looked at Simon, like he was inspecting him.

"You look like you're feeling better than yesterday." Alric said. Simon nodded.

"Sammy and I sat together for a while… I… Something was wrong though… I wanted to tell her I loved her, but I couldn't… Something stopped me." Adalwin seemed surprised.

"Really? That's odd. I always thought you and Sammy were really tight." Adalwin said.

"You're confused." Amelia said. "You love her, but something in you resents her." Simon raised an eyebrow.

"Re-sent?" Simon asked. "What does that mean?" Amelia sighed.

"Um… It's like you're angry at someone because of something they did to you, or something they didn't do for you…" Amelia said. Simon nodded.

"That doesn't sound right. How could I resent Sammy? She's been through hell and it's all my fault."

"Does the way she treated you… Did that hurt your feelings?" Amelia asked. Simon nodded.

"That's why you resent her. It's not her fault she's acting like that. She's been hurt too. But it's not your fault. I'm sure she'll come around. Maybe sooner, maybe later. But it will happen eventually and I'm sure you'll be as close as you ever were again." Amelia said.

Simon smiled, hugging Amelia tightly, kissing her on the cheek.

"I love you, Amelia." He said. Amelia smiled.

"I love you too, Simon." She said. As movers brought boxes and furniture out of the brownstone, the kids all hung out and talked, saying their goodbyes to each other, reminiscing on their friendships.

"You know I love you, right Sammy?" Luke asked. Sam nodded.

"I-I know you only like girls, but I just wanted to tell you that one last time before you left. I'm sure you'll meet a lot of really cool people in Royal Woods, but I hope you don't forget us." He muttered shyly, blushing slightly. Sam hugged him tightly.

"I could never forget you guys." Sam said. Even after all those months of them ignoring her, it felt like the resentment and confusion had melted away. They were best friends again. Luke was still the sweet and slightly awkward young man who had a crush on her and who she considered one of her best friends. Estelle was still the quirky and confident young woman with unusual hobbies and Bridget was still the beautiful, long haired girl who liked to make crowns out of flowers for her and her friends.

It was like nothing had changed. Everything had, of course. But Sam realized she wasn't angry at them anymore. She was more than ready to forgive them and she hoped that they could continue to be friends and keep in contact. Luke pulled out a cake that he had made himself for everyone. It was beautiful, with great calligraphy written in frosting on it.

Luke had always been a great baker. Most people didn't know that about him, but he was a good cook and a good baker, and his brownies and cupcakes were the best.

"Hey! Simon! And… Simon's friends! I made a cake for all of us to enjoy!" Luke said. The large group crowded into the kitchen and Luke cut pieces for everyone, putting them on paper plates and giving everyone plastic forks. He had made a cake that said "We Love You Sammy" on it.

Sam smiled upon seeing it. Luke really was sweet. The group continued talking, eating their cake and drinking the soda he had brought. All good things had to come to an end eventually, though. Amanda came back in and got Sam's and Simon's attention.

"Simon, Sam… The movers have everything in the truck… You guys should say your goodbyes… We have about ten or fifteen minutes, so don't rush… But you should start to wrap up." Simon nodded sadly.

"Alright, Mom." He said, finishing up his cake and gulping down the rest of his soda, letting out a loud belch, much to the amusement of Noriko, Alric, Eddie and Jimmy, and the annoyance of Ada and Amelia.

"Gross, Simon! Come on!" Ada said, wrinkling her face in disgust. She hugged him tightly though.

"I'm gonna miss you, Simon." Simon smiled, gently putting a hand on her head, stroking her hair.

"I'll miss you too, Ada… But this isn't it. You and your family are more than welcome at our house any time. You guys are still my best friends." Amelia blushed lightly.

"We'll visit you as soon as we can." She said. Alric and Adalwin smiled. Ada really was sweet. She had always idolized Simon. It wasn't exactly a crush, but she idolized him. To her, he was a hero who had saved Alric. She remembered how angry he was before he met Simon.

She remembered how quickly Simon accepted him and how he helped calm Alric down when he was upset. He was an incredible person to Ada.

"Guys…" Simon said. His whole group turned to look at him. He still had that effect on people. Something in his voice just screamed confidence, screamed leadership.

"Guys, I want to say that… It's really been great being friends with all of you. Eddie… Never stop doing your horror movies and LARPing. You're a really good director and filmer… Is filmer a word?" Simon asked. Eddie laughed, shaking his head.

"Pretty sure it isn't Simon. But I know what you mean. Simon smiled, hugging Eddie, patting him on the back. He turned to Jimmy.

"Jimmy… You're gonna be in Carmel or Pagliatto or something like that someday."

"Carmen or Pagliacci." Jimmy corrected. Simon snapped his fingers. "Right. Carmen or Pagliacci. And when that does happen, I want to be there on opening night to watch you play Kaspar."

"Kaspar was from Der Freischutz." Jimmy laughed. He knew Simon was trying, and he was flattered, even if he was butchering the names and forgetting who was in what.

"Regardless, you're a great singer already. You can change the world with that voice. But I don't want to ever stop being friends with you." Jimmy nodded. "We'll always be friends, Simon… And I'm sure we'll see each other again. Goodbye doesn't have to be forever." Simon nodded, hugging Jimmy. Jimmy pulled out a box from his backpack and handed it to Simon.

"Eddie and I wanted to get you something for your going away." He said. Simon smiled, opening it and finding a pair of retro headphones, an old fashioned Walkman. They looked like they were expensive and a flash drive. Simon tried to give them back.

"I can't accept these. These all look really expensive." He said. Jimmy and Eddie shook their heads.

"And I don't even know what this is." He said, holding up the Walkman.

"It's an old fashioned cassette player. This is what people had before iPods, before cd players and before flash drives. They put cassettes in them." Eddie said, surprised that Simon of all people didn't know what it was. He still didn't seem to get it.

"It's what Deadpool was listening to Shoop on on the bridge at the beginning of the movie." Eddie said. Simon's eyes lit up with understanding. He tried to give it back again. It was too expensive.

"No way. The headphones used to be recording equipment of mine. They still work great and the Walkman was my father's. Don't worry, he said it was okay to give it to you." Eddie said.

"I know the flash drive isn't really super retro, but it has a lot of great songs on it from operas, musicals, plays and some that Eddie helped me record. I… Hope you like them."

"Like them? I already know I'm gonna love them." Simon said, hugging Jimmy and Eddie again.

"Eddie… Are you sure you really want to give me your dad's old Walkman?"  
"Yeah… Not a doubt in my mind. And the player wouldn't be complete without the retro headphones. They're a package deal." Eddie said. Simon laughed with him, then turning to Noriko and Alric.

"Alric… You're the best friend anyone could ever have. You're strong and you're handsome and I know that whatever happens, you'll always be the same great person I met back in kindergarten.

"Noriko, it was great meeting you. You've really been good to Alric, and I've never been able to tell you just how much I appreciate it. You didn't even know him.

"You'd never met me, but you still stepped in to help him when he needed it… If that's not friendship, I don't want to know what friendship is. I'm really happy that you and Alric finally admitted your feelings for each other. You deserve each other, and I hope you're happy together." Simon said, hugging Noriko and Alric.

Alric had always had a special place in Simon's heart. Noriko couldn't fail to notice a deep bromance between the two of them. But Noriko was also very special to Simon, largely because of how she stepped up and defended Alric when he needed her most that day in gym class. She never abandoned him, she never cringed or looked away when she saw his scars. Simon knew there was nothing wrong with how Alric looked, but most people weren't so understanding.

Noriko smiled, small tears pricking her blue eyes. Simon didn't think he'd ever seen Noriko cry before. She was so unbendable, so strong, so tough. She hugged him tightly, kissing him on the cheek.

"You've been one of the best friends a girl could ever have. I'm gonna miss you, but I promise, we'll visit you as often as our parents will take us there." She said, pulling Simon tight and dragging Alric in with her. Simon gasped. Even with just one arm, she was extremely strong.

Finally, she let him go, and he hugged Amelia.

"Amelia… I've really enjoyed getting to know you better. I-I'm sorry we couldn't be together longer." Simon said. "I wish I could have gotten up the courage to ask you out sooner. I just didn't know if someone amazing like you could ever like someone normal like me." He sighed. Amelia smiled, kissing Simon gently on the cheek.

"You're not normal, Simon. You're great. You're strong, you're confident, you're really caring and sweet and you're a great leader. You have these friends who are super devoted to you. They'd do anything for you. I wish we could have been together longer as well. But this is my FaceTime number. Call me. We can talk face to face as it were. It's not as good as actually being together in person… But… Maybe we can still make it work." Amelia said, not seeming certain about that. Simon smiled sadly.

"Y-yeah… Right… I'll call you as often as I can." Simon said, kissing Amelia on the lips. Amelia gasped, blushing. The emotion she felt flowing into her was incredible. She sighed happily, kissing him back, before breaking away. Sam laughed lightly.

"They're awfully mature for eight year olds, aren't they?" George asked. Estelle shrugged. She thought it was sweet to see the two of them.

"Alright… We need to start wrapping this up." Adalwin said. The groups said their final goodbyes and Simon and Sam got in Amanda's car, ready to wrap up that part of their lives and move on… Well, as ready as it was possible to be.

Finally, Amanda got in the driver's seat and Erik got in the passenger seat. Alric ran down to Simon's side of the car. Simon rolled down the window and reached out, gently taking Alric's hand and pulling him into a hug. The two held each other for a long moment. Amelia went up next and kissed him one last time.

"We'll miss you, Simon." She said. Simon nodded.

"I'll miss you guys too." He said gently.

"I have a gift for you too… It's… It's a Chakra bracelet and some essential oils to go with it. You have the Root Chakra, the Sacral Chakra, Solar Plexus Chakra, Heart Chakra, Throat Chakra, Third Eye Chakra and Crown Chakra." She said, slipping the bracelet on his wrist and touching each of the colored stones. She then touched one of the porous black stones.

"These are porous volcanic stone, and you can pour some scented essential oils on them and you'll be able to smell them throughout the day. Depending on which oil you use, they can cause different effects on the mind." Amelia said, putting the box of little vials in Simon's hand as well.

"W-wow… This is really awesome… So like, these Chakra things are real?"

"Well… Probably not. But it's pretty, don't you think? And the scents can be pleasant." Amelia said. Simon nodded and hugged Amelia tightly.

"Thank you." He said. "It is beautiful."

Meanwhile, Sam was saying her final goodbyes to Luke, Estelle and Bridget. Finally, Amanda made the announcement that they had to go. Simon's and Sam's friends hurried back to the sidewalk and Amanda drove off, headed to their new life.

… **To Be Continued…**


End file.
